Tossed Through Time
by celestia193
Summary: Naruto is a member of the Riften Thieves Guild, a master pickpocket. But when one of his heists brings him to Cyrodil, and the wrath of the Dark Brotherhood down upon him, he and his two would-be assassins are thrown into a world they know nothing about by the very thing they fight over. By the power of an Elder Scroll, they are tossed into a young dragon hunter's lap. Crossover.
1. A Mission Gone Wrong

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto (well, except for a copy of the first volume of Shippuden that a friend got me for a birthday a long time ago), and I do not own The Elder Scrolls (except for a copy of Skyrim bought off of Steam, that I very much enjoy playing on my laptop when it's not broken)._

* * *

 **Okay, so I'm going to give fair warning right here, right now. If you want to flame me, keep in mind that I will do like Natsu and eat the flames, and spit them back out in the form of a rant. And don't think that I won't, because I've done it before. And at this point, I'm almost considering posting the rants on my profile page, because they can get quite ridiculous.**

 **If you say anything about me knowing nothing about either Naruto or Skyrim, let me tell you that I have been following Naruto for thirteen years (and have a Naruto fic that follows canon that has over 100k words posted for it so far), and I have BEATEN Skyrim (though not enough for my completionist side to be satisfied, since I'm not a fan of the Dark Brotherhood).**

 **My preferred way of going through Skyrim is as a Bosmer battlemage working for the Thieves Guild (I very much enjoy putting Mercer Frey in his place...drowned in a Falmer-infested Dwemer ruin).**

 **I tend to take the side of the Stormcloaks over the Imperials (since the Imperials are just a re-make of the ancient Romans, and I hate their whole idea of conquest, plus, them and the Aldmeri Dominion are trying to control people's religious freedom, which is just wrong).**

 **And I like keeping my humanity intact when dealing with the Dawnguard.**

 **I also like playing champion for the Daedra, specifically Clavicus Vile (for the Masque of Clavicus Vile, since the reward is awesome, the quest is easy, and Clavicus Vile is a total headcase), Nocturnal (because I like leading the Thieves Guild, despite how hard the last quest is), Meridia (because Dawnbreaker is a really cool sword, even if you have to work through a freaking maze to get it), Molag Bal (because damn that mace is awesome), and Mehrunes Dagon (because that dagger is the greatest one shot killer that you can hide in your sleeve).**

* * *

Naruto's P.O.V.

As nothing more than a shadow, I race through the darkness, leaping across rooftops with the excitement of a dragon hatchling, or perhaps like one who has a dremora thrall on their tail. _I sure hope that I don't have a dremora on my tail._ My breath comes out in quiet pants as I run towards the center of the city, towards the tall white tower that lies in the middle of the palace grounds, and towards the fancy looking scroll that is being treated like the next heir to the throne.

I smile softly. "I'll make a fortune from that scroll, and then I'll never have to work again." It's a great prospect for a thief, because all we really want to do it make it rich.

Wasting no time, I use all of the skills that I've learned and honed over the last eight years to drop down into the streets silently, sticking to the shadows to keep all eyes off of me. The scroll is being housed in a locked chest inside of a curtained wagon, easy prey for someone like me. And them transporting it at night to avoid the crowds of people during the day makes it easy for me to sneak across the street and roll underneath the wagon.

Reaching up to the bottom of the wagon, I brace myself between the spikes at the bottom of the metal frame. And looking around, I can already see the flaws in their plan. _They don't have anyone covering behind the wagon? Are they really that daft?_ I shake my head and shuffle towards the back of the wagon, always keeping three limbs pressed to the frame for support.

Once close enough to the back of the wagon, I reach out with my hands and twist my body over, pulling myself quietly into the inside of the wagon, which, as expected, is empty. _These guards are overconfident... Now, let's see what I can do about this lock._ I'm not the greatest when it comes to picking locks, but sometimes, I'll get lucky with a tough lock, and it'll open, just like magic. I've considered trying to learn some lock-picking spells, but I don't have any appreciable talent for alteration, and to open a lock like the one I'm staring at, I would need quite a bit of power and experience.

So, I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. I slide a lock-pick from my bracer and slip it into the lock, being careful not to jingle it unnecessarily. It clicks quietly as I turn it, searching for just the right- _Found it._ The lock clicks open, and I withdraw the pick before slowly opening the chest.

Inside is the scroll that I saw them loading earlier. Parchment two feet wide on a golden roll a meter long, gilded like a lady's pretty jewels. _Score! This will sell for thousands!_ This fence is going to pay out more at once than I've seen in my entire career as a thief. Pick-pocketing doesn't pay well unless you're swiping from those prissy rich folks. So it should come as no surprise that I focus solely on them.

It probably doesn't help that I make sure to give a few coins to every beggar that I pass. But I can understand them, because at one point, I was one of them. That's why I give them coin in exchange for their services. As tradition, the beggars are our eyes and ears. They see what most do not, and by giving them coin, we convince them to divulge that information. But sometimes, I hand out the gold, not in exchange for information, but just because they need it more than I do.

I was given to an orphanage as an infant, and stayed there until I was just shy of my tenth birthday. Ever since I ran away from the orphanage, I supported myself by picking coins out of pockets. More than once, I nearly got in trouble with the guards. But when you're a kid, it's a lot easier to outrun heavily armored guards. And it's even easier to find hiding places for a small body.

Then, I picked the pocket of the wrong person. Or maybe I should say the right person. His name was Nuramil, an elven man who introduced me that very same day to the Thieves Guild in the sewers below Riften. I found friends and teachers there, including the sorry old excuse for a perverted guildmaster, Jiraya, a Nord like me. Between him and his second in command, a Breton by the name of Nagato, I learned how to do a lot more than just pick pockets.

Taking the scroll carefully from its case, I strap it to my back and fluff my cloak out of it. Hopefully, it won't seem to suspicious if someone happens to catch a glimpse of me. Not that I'm planning on letting anyone catch a glimpse of me before I get back to Riften. _Time to go!_

I wait for the wagon to hit a bump in the road, then I slip out of the wagon and crouch down low to the ground. They're moving at a decent pace, and as long as I don't move, they shouldn't see me. _There they go..._ They continue on their way, obviously not realizing that their cargo is no longer where it should be. And once they appear to be half the size they were up close, I turn away and dart into a darkened alley, climb up the most rugged wall, and pull myself back up onto the rooftops.

With the wagon turning out of sight, I am free to run. I won't risk going through one of the gates, where the guards might be inclined to search me, so once I make it to the next ring of the city, I drop from the rooftops and open up one of the manholes, lowering myself into the sewers beneath the nation's capital.

Thankfully, the smell doesn't both me too much, since I'm well used to the smell of the sewers in Riften. The Ratway is not the cleanest of places, not that anyone would ever expect it to be, but thanks to the Thieves Guild hiding within, it's much cleaner than most would expect. And it doesn't smell like there is any explosive gas down here, so it's no trouble to use a flint to light a torch to guide my way.

Keeping my hand to the wall, since it would do me no good to get lost down here, I move as quickly as I reasonably can. Using the layout of the city that I obtained from running across the rooftops, I move out towards the Arcane University, where the sewers connect to the huge moat that rings the city. From walking the streets, I figured that the sewer system is pretty extensive, at least, that's judging by the number of manholes that pop up in the streets.

Several minutes later, I can hear the rush of water. _Found it!_ I surge forwards, heading for the sound of the water. And as the sounds grow louder, faint light appears at the end of the tunnel. So I put out my torch and drop it into the sewer water. No one will find it there, and even if someone does come down here to check, and somehow sees it, they won't want to fish it out of the water to investigate.

I reach the end of the tunnel, and it's not too hard to get the grate off. It's all rusted around the edges, probably from bad upkeep, and with my strength, it takes me all of three seconds and two attempts to kick the thing off. The grate tumbles onto the ground with a clang, but there's no one around but me to hear it. And just beyond the edge of the tunnel is freedom.

Hopping out of the tunnel, I stretch my arms and smile at the sky. _Freedom._ Then I shift the scroll on my back and grin. _Time to get this little treasure home. That old pervert is going to be amazed at what I'm bringing him this time!_

* * *

Sasuke's P.O.V.

It has been a while since the old man himself has called me in for a mission. What's even stranger is that I'm not the only one. I look to my left, where my older brother walks alongside me. "What do you think he's calling us both for?"

Itachi keeps his gaze focused on the door before us, tilting his head slightly. "I don't know, but it must be important for him to call for both of us." He's got a point, since while it's not unheard of for the two of us to take on a job together, we typically work separately.

"Well...whatever it is, I don't like it." The new Speaker for the Cheydinhal Sanctuary rarely calls his assassins in personally, and I've only seen his face twice myself. That makes me put my guard up. It would be downright foolish of me to approach this with the expectation that I'll walk out of it in one piece. In our line of work, you never go in half-cocked unless you want to get yourself killed.

When we arrive at the door, Itachi raises his hand to knock, but before his skin touches the dark door, a low voice comes from inside. "Come in."

Itachi glances at me warily. "Shall we?" I nod back, and he opens the door slowly, revealing the inner sanctum. "We've come, as summoned." His voice is calm and level, betraying no hint of anxiety, or even caution.

"Yes...so you have..." The old man sitting in the chair watches the two of us from his single functioning eye. "I have a job for the two of you, and it's a mission like no other."

That has my attention in an instant. "And you would entrust it to the two of us?"

He nods. "Not only that, but in addition to the fee you'll get for this assignment, I will see to it that your debt to us is repaid in full." His eye flicks between the two of us. "Both of you."

Now that gets him our full attention. Nine years ago, during the Oblivion Crisis, Itachi and I lost our parents. And in the chaotic aftermath, our inheritance was seized, and the two of us were left on the streets. But thanks to Itachi, we spent barely a few days on the streets. Knowing that we would starve otherwise, he sought out the Dark Brotherhood in Cheydinhal, which was only just beginning to recover from a massacre of their members. He offered himself up to the assassins in return for food, shelter, and training.

A year later, Itachi's growth and training were enough to allow him into the ranks of the assassins. And until he turned sixteen, he provided for the both of us with his earnings from his kills. That's when I joined him among the assassins' ranks. I was only thirteen at the time, but I was determined to prove myself as accomplished a fighter as my brother.

The two of us have served the Dark Brotherhood as assassins ever since, paying off our debt to them, as well as making a name for ourselves within the organization. If this mission will truly clear our debt with them, then it's certainly something to consider taking.

Itachi nods, seeming to silently agree with me. "What are the details of the assignment?" Asking for the details of an assignment is the fastest way to say 'I accept the job, now tell me what it is and don't leave anything out'. He's good at getting right to the point without seeming to be offensive.

Danzo watches us quietly for a moment. "The Black Sacrament has been performed to get rid of a certain thief, and to retrieve something that the thief stole. You do not need to know what the significance of the object is, only that it is a large scroll and very valuable to certain people. You will kill the thief and retrieve the scroll, then bring it to me. The thief is believed to be traveling to Riften, in Skyrim."

It seems like a pretty straightforward mission, if a little unusual. Usually, we are hired only to kill the target, sometimes in specific ways, but retrieving something is a little outside of our normal operating procedures. Then again, since we're dealing with a thief, I suppose that it's only to be expected. We don't usually tangle with the Thieves Guild, and in fact, some of our members have ties with them. So either this thief is independent, or they stole something that they really shouldn't have.

Itachi nods in understanding. "Then we will leave immediately. I assume that we are on a deadline."

"Yes, once the thief crosses the border, it will become difficult to apprehend him before he finds someone willing to fence the item." He is sending us on a dangerous mission, and one that could become very complicated the longer we stay here.

"Very well, then." Itachi touches my shoulder. "Sasuke, let's go."

With one last look at Speaker Danzo, I follow my brother out, keeping pace with him while trying to conceal my eagerness. "So, we're off to the border, then?"

"Yes." Itachi reaches for his daggers, arranged lying across each other on his back. "Be on your guard once we leave. Thieves are tricky, and they're generally well trained, mainly in the event that they run into trouble."

It proves impossible to keep the smirk from my face. "Trouble like us?"

"Trouble like us." Itachi's smile is faint, but it boosts my confidence a little, and does something to stroke both our egos.

* * *

Itachi's P.O.V.

The weather is colder here at the border, as is expected when this close to Skyrim. Thankfully, Cheydinhal is much closer to the border than most of the other cities, and with how quickly we managed to get here, we might just have arrived in time to cut off our thief.

"Itachi, I see movement." Sasuke grabs my arm and points off into the trees. "Looks like someone who doesn't want to get caught."

I watch the figure for a moment, and they truly do seem rather suspicious. And no ordinary traveler would go this far out of the way just to cross the border into Skyrim. _I believe that we have found our thief._ "Be ready to strike, but we move to investigate first. It will do us no good to waste time with another. And it would be in bad taste to kill an innocent." I may kill for a living, but that does not mean that I am a bloodthirsty berserker.

"Alright." Sasuke releases my arm and backs away from me, slipping into the shadows of the trees.

I move forwards, softening my footsteps as I move in on the figure walking through the woods. From their appearance, I would say that this person is male, as tall as Sasuke, though a little bulkier than my graceful little brother. Their movements look practiced, coming from years of training to be light on your feet. But judging by his gait, I would say that this person is used to wielding blades.

Sasuke is no doubt watching from a tree branch, bow at the ready for either a signal or an opportunity. He has always preferred to take out targets from a distance, and slip away into the shadows before anyone can pinpoint his location. But I find that there is less room for error if the deed is done up close and personal.

The distance closes quickly, and there has been no sign yet that he has heard me at all. Not even the rocks beneath my feet make a sound as I move quickly and quietly behind him. I draw a single elven dagger, and hold it to the traveler's throat. "Move, and you fall."

The traveler stays perfectly still, obeying the threat laced into both my words and my voice. "And what are ya lookin' for?" He voice is a little rough, but laced with a gentled nordic accent.

"I think you know what I'm looking for." I shift aside his cloak slightly, and strapped to his back is what looks suspiciously like our mission objective. "That doesn't belong to you."

"Doesn't belong to you either!" Faster than the blink of the eye, he draws a sword, sweeping it up between my dagger and his throat. He leans backward, forcing me to back away, before he whirls around and the cloak's hood falls from his head.

The boy, for he is no more than that, looks no older than Sasuke. His sun-kissed golden hair and bright blue eyes only reinforce his nordic identity. _So that is why he runs to Riften. He plans to fence the scroll in his homeland, where he is better protected._ If we are dealing with the thieves of Skyrim, then that changes things. It means that the Dark Brotherhood will retain all of it's own ties, and our only hostilities will be with a foreign group far away from our doorstep.

An arrow comes whistling out of the trees, nearly striking the young man in the head. And in fact, it would have struck him in the head, were it not for the boy's incredible reflexes. My brother's attempt to put an arrow into his skull only provokes a grin. "A nice try, I'll give ya that. But tangling with the Riften Thieves Guild is a mistake you'd be better off not making." He looks me up and down, his grin widening. "Dark Brotherhood."

This is precisely what I had hoped wouldn't happen. This thief is clearly trained, and trained well. He's familiar with our organization, familiar enough to recognize us on sight. And we're close enough to the border that if we take too much time, his fellow thieves may start to wonder what is going on. And I would not fancy our chances against an entire guild of well-trained fighters.

His eyes flick momentarily to the trees. "Why don't ya call your friend out, and we'll have a nice little chat..."

In response to his suggestion, Sasuke looses another arrow, and this time, instead of dodging the projectile, the boy slices it right out of the air. Though it was a foolish attempt, it provides me with an opening to slip around the boy's guard. I can see Sasuke sitting twenty feet above in a tree, another arrow nocked in his bow.

I reach for the boy's throat, my plan being to simply slit his throat, break his neck, and give him a quick death. Sasuke may enjoy playing with his food before eating it, but I find it distasteful to leave a victim to linger. though if the client requests that they be left to linger, there is nothing to be done. In this case, there were no instructions as to how he is to die, therefore I will grant him this small mercy.

The boy reaches back and grabs hold of my knife, letting it cut deeply into his palm, before pulling on my wrist, nearly breaking the joint. Another arrow whistles towards us, and I have no doubt that it will not hit me, my little brother's aim is far better than that. But it fails to hit the target either. Instead, it flies straight into the scroll that we've been tasked to recover, bouncing off with a sharp thunk.

The scroll falls to the ground, light spilling from it as it bounces across the stones. _Magic...?_ I'm somewhat versed in illusion and alteration magic, but I have never seen magic like this before. The scroll lies open, runes dancing around in a bright haze on the sheet.

"Sasuke! Run!" I do not know what the scroll is doing, but I would rather not have Sasuke within range of it, whatever its range may be.

"What...?" The boy looks down at the scroll, clearly not understanding just what it was that he had stolen. Not that I know any more than he does, I've never seen anything like this before.

"Itachi!" My foolish little brother, rather than running away from the scroll, drops from the tree, rolls across the ground, and races towards me and the boy as the light grows stronger. "Itachi! Get away from the-"

Light fills the forest, blindingly bright and impenetrable. Then, a rush of wind sweeps in, and I no longer feel anything but the cold.

* * *

Third Person P.O.V.

After what seems like an eternity to the three young men wrapped up in battle, the light fades, and a single voice rings out. "What do you think you're doing, and how did you find an Elder Scroll?"


	2. Dragon Hunter

**I decided to put this in the Naruto section rather than the crossover section because I figured that it would get more attention that way. Now, don't hate me for it (please), because all I want is for people to at least try reading it. And there's just not enough interest in the NarutoxElder Scrolls crossover section to get the kind of views I'm hoping for (because that seems to be a very specific niche). But, I hope that through this story, I will pique people's interest in one of my favorite video games (and because it makes for a kickass storyline).**

 **And, for anyone who cares, I seem to be gearing the story towards multiple P.O.V.s per chapter. I was not planning on doing that at first, it's kind of just how it panned out. But I feel like it's working, considering how long the chapters are. It's good for breaking the chapters into more manageable pieces.**

* * *

Naruto's P.O.V.

"What do you think you're doing, and how did you find an Elder Scroll?" A girl's voice rings demandingly through the air.

I groan slightly, and I find my hands long enough to push myself into a sitting position. "My head hurts..." I feel like it's gotten acquainted with the wrong end of a mace.

"Answer my questions, or it's going to hurt a lot worse." I blink a few times, and my blurry vision starts to clear. I look up to see a blade pointed at my face, wickedly sharp and rather terrifying a piece.

I try to back up, but run right into the guy that was trying to kill me only a minute ago. He hisses quietly in pain and pushes himself to his feet. "What happened?"

"Itachi?" The other guy, his partner stumbles over, rubbing the back of his head. He must have hit his head when that light flared.

"Sasuke, stop moving." The older one, at least judging by his voice, stops moving. "There's something wrong."

The younger one, Sasuke, glances up and looks around, his eyes widening. "What the..."

And he's right to have that reaction. From what I can see, past the dagger in my face, is that it looks like I'm home in Skyrim. And that can't be right, because I'm supposed to be about half a kilometer from the border. And before I closed my eyes, it was cold, but there wasn't any snow.

I look up at the girl, only to find her face covered by a cloth mask attached to her rather impressive leather and cloth armor, most likely padded for the cold. It almost looks like something practical for a thief, but also like it was meant for a mage. Cloth strips hang down in the front and back, as well as over her shoulders, but her boots and bracers are reinforced with metal scales. Add to that the fact that she's pointing a dagger at my face means that she's not a girl to mess with.

I gulp nervously and try to keep my eyes on hers. "I think that I was getting attacked by these two. And I don't know what an Elder Scroll is."

She glares at me for a moment, then pulls her dagger back. "In that case, don't let me stop you. I'll just have the scroll and be on my way." She reaches to the ground and picks up that big fancy scroll from earlier. Her eyes, like pools of spring water, watch us carefully as she straps my prize to her back.

Before I can protest, the younger of the two assassins, Sasuke, points a once concealed sword at her. "Drop the scroll and leave, or your head will be hanging from the trees."

She turns to face Sasuke, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Do you even know what this is?"

"No, and frankly, I don't care." His voice is low and rich, with that southern lilt to it. "We've been hired to retrieve that scroll and dispose of its thief. Don't think that you won't join him if you refuse to give up the scroll."

She looks him up and down, her eyes narrowing. "I've only seen armor like that depicted in history books. Where do you come from?"

That seems to throw both of the assassins off for a moment, and the older one, Itachi, speaks. "Cyrodil. And what do you mean by only having seen armor like this in history books?"

She turns to him, though not without keeping an eye on his partner. "It's...old? Outdated? No one makes armor like that anymore? What answer do you want?"

"What do you mean no one makes armor like this anymore?" Sasuke lowers his sword a little. "This is some of the best armor ever made."

"When, during the Third Era?" She scoffs quietly. Then, she frowns. "Wait..." She touches the scroll, and looks like she's thinking hard. "When...what year were you born in?"

Sasuke raises his sword again, snarling. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Itachi, on the other hand, seems a bit more on the curious side. "Sasuke, calm yourself." He turns to the girl. "Third Era, the twenty first year of the fifth century."

The girl's eyes widen immeasurably. "Twelve years before the gates of Oblivion opened..." Then she relaxes a little, almost sadly. "In that case, forget whatever mission you were sent on, it no longer matters. Your employer is long dead by now."

"What?" Sasuke's eyes narrow, and I would swear that there are sparks shooting from them. "What do you mean long dead? We were sent on this assignment this morning."

She shakes her head slowly. "It would seem that you were caught by the Elder Scroll's magic." She pulls her mask down, revealing soft, pale skin. "If you want answers, come with me. But know that if you try to harm me, I will not hesitate to stop you."

"Oh, and how is that?" Sasuke raises his sword one more time.

I recoil a little, wary of the girl standing in front of us. "Uh...I wouldn't do that if I were in your shoes."

But as he brings his sword down towards the girl, she whirls around and opens her mouth. "FUS!"

Whatever power she possesses washes over us, and makes me glad that I'm still sitting on the ground. Both of the assassins stagger, Itachi forced onto one knee, and Sasuke tumbling onto his behind. She draws back, looking satisfied that she's made her point. "Now, if you're done playing the fool, we're not far from Riften."

"Riften!?" That's definitely a good name to hear. "I'm from Riften! Do you know the Thieves Guild?"

Her eyes find me, and she frowns. "Of course I know the Thieves Guild. I'm one of their highest earners."

For a minute, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. then, it turns rather cold. "Wait...but I've never seen you around the guild before."

"I'm around the guild all the time." She approaches me and crouches down in front of me. "But when we get there, I'll have to show you how much it's changed since you've been gone."

"Gone?" _How long was I gone? I thought that it wasn't more than a couple of weeks..._

She nods slightly. "After all, I wouldn't be surprised if it's very different to the guild that you knew. It has been almost two hundred years."

"What?" My blood goes cold, and the other two stop moving entirely, their focus solely on the girl in front of us. "What do you mean by two hundred years?"

She stands up straight and pulls me to my feet. "You guys last remember around the tenth year of the Fourth Era, right?"

"The ninth." Itachi supplies the figure easily. "When we left the sanctuary for this mission, it was the eighteenth of Hearthfire, in the ninth year of the Fourth Era."

"Well, it's certainly the eighteenth of Hearthfire, but..." Her voice grows hard and biting. "It's the two hundred and second year of the Fourth Era. It's been a hundred and ninety three years since the last moment you remember."

 _Almost two hundred years...?_

That means that everyone I've ever known is long dead, their spirits in Sovngarde, and their bones turned to dust.

She looks up at me, sympathy in her eyes. "If you would rather not see Riften right now, then we can go to Whiterun, I have a house there." She looks over my shoulder at the two assassins. "You two may as well come. After all, I have dropped the news of the century on you, and it wouldn't be fair to leave you here."

Sasuke opens his mouth to protest, before Itachi silences him with a single look. "We would be grateful for your hospitality, Miss..."

"Kaea." She lets go of my arm and starts towards a small path. "My name is Kaea."

* * *

Kaea's P.O.V.

Today has certainly turned out to be a strange day. I'd gone out, hoping to return to the guild with something for Tonilia. Instead, I'm heading back to Whiterun with three strange men that I found in the forest.

I wonder if it's the Divines or the Daedra messing with me today.

By evening, I pass through the gates of Whiterun with my three unfortunate guests. Of course, I'd paid attention to when the Greybeards and Parthuunax told me of Alduin being sent forward in time, but I'd never actually seen it done before. _I suppose that the Elder Scrolls really do have incredible powers..._

I open the door to my relatively empty house. It's furnished, of course, but I barely spend any time here, so it tends to be a little on the dusty side. "Make yourselves at home. There's a bedroom downstairs with two beds, and one upstairs with a single. My room is locked." I glance at my fellow thief. "Which means that you are not supposed to pick the lock open."

"Okay, okay!" The blond holds up his hands in surrender. Then he looks back at the two assassins. "So...are you two sharing a room, or am I bunking with someone?"

The shorter of the two rolls his eyes. "I would prefer to share with my brother, thank you." _So...they're brothers. That explains their appearance. Cyrodil natives from the looks of them. Great...just what I needed. Two Imperials and a Nord in my house. I just hope that they don't catch on to the war too quickly. I don't need them spilling blood in my house._ I look back at the younger assassin, and considering the way he's looking at the blond, I might just see some blood anyway.

I step between the two, glaring at them in turn. "If you get blood on anything in my house, I will Thu'um you again. And this time, I won't stop at one word."

The raven haired boy glares at me, while the blond's eyes widen. "That's what ya did!?" I nod once and he gapes. "But...how?"

"If you train hard...it is possible for some to learn to Shout." I don't think he needs to know the real reason just yet. "But there is much to fill you in on. You've missed quite a lot."

"Yeah..." He fidgets nervously, looking anxiously at the door. "I've been through Whiterun many times...and it's never looked like this."

"Hm..." It almost makes me wonder what this place was like two hundred years ago. "And the scrolls have foretold of black wings in the cold, that when brothers wage war come unfurled..."

The blond's anxiety lessens as his head perks up at the sound of my words. "I know that song!"

"I'm sure that you do." I glance back to the bedroom, where the elder assassin seems to be nearly finished with his inspection. "Once you join us, I will tell you what has happened in the two centuries that you have missed."

That quickly summons him from the room, a serious, yet calm look on his regal-looking face. "Shall I assume that proper introductions are in order?" I nod slightly at his query. "Very well. I am Itachi Uchiha, an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood, from the Sanctuary in Cheydinhal." He motions to his brother. "And this is Sasuke, my younger brother. He is, for all intents and purposes, my partner in this venture." The young raven looks away sourly, like he's tasted bitter ale.

The blond, on the other hand, is much more forthcoming. "I'm Naruto! And like I said before, I'm a member of the Thieves Guild in Riften. Born here in Skyrim!" He leans in close and peers at me. "Like you, I'm guessing, though you're quite dainty for one of Skyrim's ladies, but you got the scary part down."

I'm going to choose to ignore the scary part, since I would just be proving his point. "That's likely because my father is a Nord, but my mother isn't." Naruto watches me curiously, so I sigh and pull down my hood. "My mother was an elven mistress to one of the Jarls." I hate talking about my unconventional heritage, but at at least I know that none of them are going to tell anyone. Especially since if they did, I could easily turn them in as criminals, and I'm pretty sure that they know that.

That doesn't, however, stop their eyes from widening at the sight of my pointed ears, though I would prefer them to be staring at my long auburn hair instead. Itachi is the first to stop staring at my appearance. "Now, what was this about scrolls foretelling black wings and war?"

I motion to the chairs around the fireplace as a place for them to sit down. "It's...a very long story. Naruto likely knows some of it, since the story itself is as old as time. Those words were an excerpt from a very old piece called 'The Song of the Dragonborn'." My eyes find Naruto. "I assume that you know the story of Alduin, the World Eater?"

He nods eagerly. "Yeah, it's the story about how a black dragon tried to bring about the end of the age. But he was defeated a long time ago. The song tells of a time when-" He freezes for a moment, and I can almost see the cogs turning in his head. "It tells of a time when Alduin will return."

I nod and sit down in the last free seat, then I take in a deep breath and start to sing. " _Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,_ _Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal._ _Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,_ _Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal."_

Naruto bobs his head to the music, but it's not long before the music comes flowing out of him as well. " _Huzrah nu, kul do od, wah aan bok lingrah vod,_ _Ahrk fin tey, boziik fun, do fin gein!_ _Wo lost fron wah ney dov, ahrk fin reyliik do jul,_ _Voth aan suleyk wah ronit faal krein."_

 _"Ahrk fin zul, rok drey kod, nau tol morokei frod,_ _Rul lot Taazokaan motaad voth kein!_ _Sahrot Thu'um, med aan tuz, vey zeim hokoron pah,_ _Ol fin Dovahkiin komeyt ok rein!_ _Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,_ _Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!_ _Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,_ _Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!"_ Our voices rise and fall together, singing a song that every Nord knows from a very young age. It's a song of epic battles, heroes, and everything the people of this land value most. " _Ahrk fin Kel lost prodah, do ved viing ko fin krah,_ _Tol fod zeymah win kein meyz fundein!_ _Alduin, feyn do jun, kruziik vokun staadnau,_ _Voth aan bahlok wah diivon fin lein!_ _Nuz aan sul, fent alok, fod fin vul dovah nok,_ _Fen kos nahlot mahfaeraak ahrk ruz!_ _Paaz Keizaal fen kos stin nol bein Alduin jot,_ _Dovahkiin kos fin saviik do muz!"_

The last verse flows like honeyed mead, growing powerful, then quiet. " _Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,_ _Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!_ _Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan._ _Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal..."_

The brothers watch us carefully, cautiously. And I believe that it is time to relieve their confusion. "The song of the Dragonborn...it foretells the day that the black dragon returns. A day when civil war wages throughout Skyrim, and the dragons return to cause panic and destruction. It tells of a hero that will rise, one whose power rivals the sun, who is kin to both man and dragon. Dovahkiin. The Dragonborn. A person who can slay dragons and take their souls, keeping them dead, even when Alduin insists on raising them from their burial mounds."

"Raising them from their burial mounds?" Sasuke scoffs. "So this dragon is supposed to be a necromancer?"

"Not supposed to be..." I remember that day well. "It was a year ago...when I saw him. I was passing through Helgen on my way to steal some jewels from the trading house in Markarth. What I found when I arrived in Helgen...was a huge black dragon swooping over the ruins of the town. There were screams of the townspeople as they were burnt alive. I raced into the town to try and save some of the people, but...I was only able to rescue a dozen or so." I feel ashamed that my efforts were so useless. If I had known then what I do now, then maybe I could have stopped the massacre from happening.

Naruto's eyes fill themselves with fear. "You mean he's back!? That was supposed to be a legend!"

Itachi grows pensive. "According to your account, it would appear that the legend is not only that."

I nod. "I have seen the World Eater, he who would bring this world to its knees. He is a monster like nothing I have ever seen. And he has spent this last year raising dragons from their burial mounds all across Skyrim, all across Tamriel, I expect. There are far too many dragons to be solely from Skyrim." I bite my lip angrily. "And they're converging on this place, Skyrim. Alduin has called them here, but I don't know why. If it is an army of dragons that he seeks, then why would he allow them to roam free and be killed by-"

"Killed by what?" Sasuke turns his suspicious glare on me with all his strength. "Or by who?"

They don't need to know the truth, at least, not all of it. It's not like they won't find out eventually. "By me." I watch as their eyes widen from suspicion to surprise. "I am a dragon hunter."

There is another round of silence, before Naruto shuffles closer to me. "How do you kill a dragon?"

"Well, usually, I stick a sword or an arrow through it's skull, but-" A deafening roar cuts me off, and it sounds like it's right overhead. "Shit!"

Sasuke and Itachi are already on their feet, hands reaching for their weapons. The younger glares at me once more. "What was that!?"

I reach to the closest weapon rack and withdraw a memento from my time in the Twilight Sepulcher. "That, my dear assassins and thief, is what a dragon sounds like." And in one swift motion, I cross the room and throw open the door. "You have two options. Stay here where it is safe, or come outside and see for yourself what kind of end the world is coming to." I glance at the Elder Scroll sitting tucked away next to the firepit. There is no guarantee that it will be there when I get back, but right now, the dragon is my first concern. I can always track down the scroll again later.

Without waiting for them to respond, I race down the street, heading for the front gate. _I'm not going to let any more dragons go about killing the innocent. Not if I can be there to stop them!_

* * *

Sasuke's P.O.V.

"Of all the times that a Dragonborn would be helpful..." The idiot thief looks up at me as he shifts the straps attaching his weapon to his hip. "Well? Are you going to stand there all day, ya arrow shootin' bastard? Or are ya gonna go help deal with that dragon?" He must still be holding a grudge for those arrows I shot at his head earlier. Then again, it was less than a day ago, so I suppose that he has just cause to be upset about me trying to kill him.

"Tch, moron." As if I'm going to go out there and get myself killed. I have no idea how to deal with a dragon. I was never trained for that, and I was trained for everything. "If you want to go out there and get yourself killed, be my guest."

But as the blond idiot rolls his eyes and runs out the door, following the girl, I notice that Itachi is adjusting his own weapons. He notices my gaze and stares right back at me. "Are you not curious about the dragon, little brother? If you don't plan to fight, you should at least watch the battle. It will be good experience for both of us, as neither of us has ever had any training in dealing with dragons. And whether you like it or not, we are stuck here until we find someone who knows enough about magic to send us back. Though whether that prospect is possible or not remains to be seen."

 _That's a sobering thought..._ He's pointed out that because of this damn scroll, we might be stuck two hundred years in the future. Though to be honest, that might not be so bad. After all, it's not like we really left anything behind, other than scheming relatives that disinherited us the first chance they got, and a gang of assassins that would likely never let us go unless we died. _But it's not like I want to stay here where there's a war and dragons about._

Itachi heads for the door, silently leaving me behind in the house. I roll my eyes and sigh. _You aren't giving me a choice, big brother..._ I suck up my complaints, at least for now, and make my way to the door, shutting it behind me as I step out into the darkening streets.

 _This is stupid and dumb, and downright foolish._

Nonetheless, I catch sight of my brother disappearing through the front gate of the city, and where he goes, I follow, even if that means right into the jaws of a dragon. Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't plan on sticking as many arrows into the beast as I possibly can. Even if my brother has a death wish, I'm not going to indulge that.

I race down the street and out of the closing gates, banking sharply to the right , then to the left as I leap down the steps and fly across the bridges that make up the approach to the city. Itachi is far ahead of me, his daggers at the ready. _So he's planning on fighting that thing!?_ Not that I've actually seen it, but I've got a fairly vivid imagination. And the images I see are all snapping jaws and blasts of fire.

A jet of fire touches the ground right behind me, and I instinctively fall into a roll, tumbling across the ground and rolling back onto my feet a safe distance away from the fire. Then, I turn my eyes to the sky and my blood runs cold. _So that's a dragon..._

Hovering right above me is a snarling, scaly, grayish form, with a wingspan of at least forty feet. There is fire dripping from its maw, and each beat of its wings feels like a raging storm. _I need the high ground._ It may seem a silly idea when facing off against a giant flying beast, but I need a better place to aim from, because firing straight up is a terrible idea.

"Over here!" An arrow whizzes through the air, striking the dragon right in the eye. The dragon, half blinded, turns its working eye onto the archer. Kaea.

But her distraction gives me the chance to make a break for one of the towers. I climb up the side, scaling it as I would a house to perform an assassination. But this time, as I perch on top of the tower, my arrow is pointed not at a victim, but at a dragon. Taking careful aim as the dragon flies after the unfortunate girl, I place one right through what looks like soft skin where the neck and shoulders join. That draws forth a mighty roar from the enraged dragon, and it lands with a thunderous crash.

Right in front of Kaea.

Fortunately, the dragon seems solely focused on trying to snap her head off that it barely notices Naruto and Itachi slicing at its wings, cutting the fragile membranes to ribbons. That dragon won't be taking to the air again. The dragon doesn't like that one bit, and it starts stomping and thrashing, it dangerous tail swinging everywhere, knocking over precariously stacked boulders, and cracking solid stone.

I loose another arrow at the dragon, except that this time, it turns its head and the arrow bounces off of one of the dragon's horns. _Damn it!_ I nock another one, only to catch sight of something strange out of the corner of my eye. Instead of brandishing her bow as dark as night, Kaea has done away with any and all weapons, holding out her hands in front of her. _Is she mad? She'll hardly slay a dragon like that!_ Her claim of being a dragon hunter is starting to seem rather strange to me, along with her methods.

Then, the dragon snaps at her again, and she opens her mouth wide, her voice like thunder. "FO KRAH DIIN!" And from her mouth erupts a blast of what looks like ice.

The dragon is hit right in the face with the icy breath, and it freezes for just a moment. But that moment is all that it takes for her to climb onto its head, a transparent sword flickering in her hand. And she drives the spectral blade down into the dragon's thrashing head with both hands, cleaving its skull open, and dropping the dragon to the ground. As the dragon thumps lifelessly to the ground, the sword in her hands disappears. _A summoned sword?_ That means that she's at least got some experience in magic, as well as a large enough reserve to perform a difficult spell like that.

But that's not the end of the magical spectacle. The dragon's body begins to glow, the light growing brighter, until it's too bright to continue looking at, and I throw up my arm to stop it from blinding me. There's a violent sound of rushing wind, and the light flares quickly, before the light dies to something bearable, and I uncover my eyes to see the light pulsing around her, before disappearing into nothingness.

But it's not her that amazes me, it's the dragon. It was fearsome and mighty before, but now, all that lies there is a pile of bones and a few stray arrows. I've never seen any creature be reduced to this before. _Did its corpse burn to ash...?_ But there are no ashes on the ground to suggest such a thing.

Kaea slips off of the dragon's skull, landing deftly on the ground, before picking at the skeleton, removing some stray scales and breaking off both of its shoulder blades. "Waste not, want not..." She stuffs them into a pack at her side, packing it until full of dragon remains.

Naruto bounds over, sword in hand and a grin on his face. "What did ya do to that dragon!? I've seen nothing like that before!"

"It's dead, it doesn't matter now." Her voice is flat, as though she's long since grown tired of answering that question. She looks up at me and tilts her head. "Will you be coming down from there, or are you planning on sitting up there like a bird all night?"

I growl quietly, but I put my bow away and make my way back down the side of the tower. _She may think that she's not going to answer that question, but she's sorely mistaken. Because I want to know just what she did to that dragon too._ I hit the ground and stride towards her, suspicion rising up inside me.

But as I approach her, the moron, and my brother, the silence of the night is broken by a loud grumbling. At first, it sounds like another dragon, before the idiot chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "Sorry bout that. I haven't eaten all day, so..." He laughs nervously, his cheeks developing a pinkish hue.

Kaea snort and rolls her eyes. "Come on, then, you'll be wanting the Bannered Mare. They have all the food you can eat, and all the mead you can drink. And I'm sure that the three of you'll be wanting your fill." She motions towards the gates of the city. "Come, the guards will clan up what's left of the dragon."

As she starts back towards the city, my mind is swirling with questions that need answering. And from what little I can tell about this mysterious girl, she's one of the few who might actually have those answer to give.


	3. The Dragonborn Comes

**Okay, so our assassin boys have gotten their dose of Skyrim reality. Dragons, dragons everywhere. And now it's time for them to get drunk and hungover. And then to get some answers that maybe they didn't really want in the first place.**

* * *

Itachi's P.O.V.

The tavern is...cozy, I suppose. There are several late-night guests, and more than a few are at the mead. My younger brother included, as he and our blond thief have somehow gotten it into their heads to drink until they drop. And from the looks of it, judging by the vibrant rose staining their cheeks, they are well on their way.

The bard in the corner, finally stepping away from his mead, picks up his lute and strums it gently. "Alright folks, I think it's time for some music, don't you?" He smiles charmingly, obviously hoping for one of the tavern girls to fall into his bed tonight. "This one's favorite of mine. A legend we all know and love..."

Of course, not being one much for legends myself, though I feel now that I should brush up on a few, this sounds like it may be of some interest. The Nords seem fond of passing on their legends through song, so this may be more educational than entertaining.

His strumming quiets a little as his voice takes over. "Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart. I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes..." _They seem to be rather fixated on this Dragonborn character, that is certainly something to note._ "With a Voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art... Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes." _Now, he speaks of a power to do with the voice..._ "It's an end to the evil of all Skyrim's foes... Beware, beware the Dragonborn comes." _That seems to be a clear warning to the enemies of Skyrim..._ "For the darkness has passed and the legend yet grows... You'll know, you'll know the Dragonborn's come." _And that last line continues to imply that this Dragonborn truly does exist, right at this very moment._

I watch a while longer as the bard entertains the crowd. At least until half of them have passed out at their tables, benches, or at the bar. That is when I take my chance to approach the man. "Excuse me, would you happen to have a moment?"

He looks up at me, frowning slightly. "Well, I'd prefer to take a little lass to my bed, but..."

"That is not what I would like to speak of..." I watch the man's changing expression carefully. "Forgive me, but I am new to Skyrim, and I would like to know more about that song you were singing, the first one of the evening."

"Hm? Oh..." He frowns a little. "Yes, what about it? Every bard across Skyrim knows the song."

I nod slightly. "I see, but I would like to know the story behind it. Forgive my ignorance, but before today, I had never heard of a...Dragonborn."

"Oh, I see." He perks up a little, as though eager to tell the story. "It's an old tale, passed down through countless centuries among the Nords. The Last Dragonborn is the ultimate dragon slayer, able to steal a dragon's very soul. His Voice can match those of dragons. And it is he that will bring down the vile black dragon."

"I see..." This is starting to sound a little like what Kaea and Naruto were speaking of with their own song. "And tell me...where does the Dragonborn come from? Is it something passed down through blood?"

The bard frowns. "Well...the Dragonborn Emperors died out with Martin and Uriel Septim during the Oblivion Crisis. But generally, it is said that the power of the dragons runs through the veins of whoever Akatosh chooses to bestow the gift upon. They are mortals born with the blood and soul of a dragon through the favor of Akatosh, and blessed further by Kynareth with the power of the Voice."

A picture is starting to come together in my head, despite the little surprise surrounding my late Emperor. "So...are you so certain that the Dragonborn is a man?"

He turns to me, looking rather bemused. "What? Oh. Well...I suppose that it might be a woman. There are plenty of women warriors here in Skyrim, and they're not wise to be tangling with. Crafty and vicious, they are. So, I suppose that it might be a woman. I've never met the hero, so I can't say for sure."

"That does not surprise me." Not after what I was a witness to earlier. "So, you said that the Dragonborn could steal a dragon's soul?"

He nods quickly. "It's said that when the Dragonborn kills a dragon, it is stopped from coming back to life once its soul is stolen. And from what I've heard the travelers and other bards say, it sounds like it's true. This past year, there have been dragon attacks all over Skyrim, dragons just clawing their way out of the old burial mounds. But almost every time a dragon attacks, all that's left at the end is a pile of bones. The people aren't too happy about all of the dragons flying about, but the blacksmiths are quite pleased with the bones and scales left behind by the battles."

I seem to remember something like that. After the battle, the girl collected up as many of the scales and bones as she could fit in her bag, leaving them inside her home before bringing us here for the evening. _And everyone in this land expects her to save them by bringing down a dragon powerful enough to terrify entire nations?_ It would certainly explain why she hasn't outright said that she is Dragonborn, though it is still merely conjecture at this point. I will have to ask her about it after a good night's sleep.

One last time, I turn to the bard. "Tell me one more thing...this vocal power that the Dragonborn possesses... In what language does this person speak when they utilize this power?"

"The language of the dragons, of course." He sits back and fiddles with his lute. "The Shout, or the Thu-um, is something like a spell cast by dragons. Mere mortals can learn to use the power, but the Dragonborn can learn it like their own tongue. At least, that's what I've been told. I've never seen it for myself. But there's no doubt that the Dragonborn has come. And soon, the World-Eater will be slain, and this war ended."

I bow my head respectfully to the bard before rising to my feet and returning to the bar, where my foolish little brother and the blond thief have finally stopped trying to kill each other, and have instead opted to pass out over their mead. And unsurprisingly, the blond is still moving groggily, just barely conscious. _Looks like the Nords truly have a gift for holding their liquor._

Carefully, I slide my brother's arm over my shoulder and haul him to his feet. I glance down the bar at Kaea, who is leisurely sipping on what looks like a far more expensive spirit. I keep my voice low, so as not to wake up the entire tavern of drunken fools. "I believe that my brother has had enough mead for tonight."

She glances at Sasuke, then over to Naruto. "Yes, I believe that you're right. you would also have been right had you said it nearly an hour ago." She sighs and slides off her stool, leaving a few coins on the counter. "Come on now." She kicks Naruto's stool and sends him tumbling to the ground.

He groans and holds his head in his hands. "Make it stop spinnin' will ya?"

"It'll stop spinning once you're asleep. Now come on, I'm not dragging you back to the house." She puts her hands on her hips, and I chuckles quietly. _It seems that she has things well under control here. I'll leave the thief to her._ I shift Sasuke a little and carefully remove him from the thick atmosphere of the tavern. He stirs slightly when the fresh air wafts around him, but he stays firmly asleep. It's rather amusing to see such an accomplished assassin sleeping like a child. He hasn't slept so soundly since we still lived in the Imperial City.

 _Perhaps being in this place is good for him...fighting dragons seems to suit him better than assassination._

Sasuke's P.O.V.

Mead...it seems like such a good thing when it first burns its way down your throat. But then it waits until the morning to attack you with its full fury.

"Take this, little brother." Itachi's voice comes out of thin air, and I struggle to open my eyes. But every blink reveals a little more of his face, along with the vial he is holding in front of my face. "This should bring you back to life."

I take the vial and sniff it gingerly. And it's revolting. "Ugh, what's in this?"

"I did not ask." He smirks slightly. "But I suggest that you man up and drink it. Our hostess made it specially for you and the thief you seemed to enjoy bickering with last night. And I must say, he put up a grand fuss about it. I'm surprised that you slept through it."

I groan and take another whiff of the potion in the vial. "This had better work..." Taking a deep breath, I down the mixture as fast s I can, and surprisingly, it doesn't taste nearly as bad as it smells. "Well...that could have been worse." The pounding headache is quickly beginning to subside, and my vision is clearing right up. "Really, we should find out what's in this."

Itachi chuckles. "Perhaps later, little brother. Now...there's another matter that we should probably see to." He sits down next to me on the bed, his expression rather serious, even for him. "Do you remember the song from last night, the one about the Dragonborn?"

"You mean the one that the two of them sang? Or the one by the bard?" I can vaguely recall two songs, but my memory is still a bit fuzzy. "What of them?"

"Well, both, actually." He sighs, almost sadly. "While you were content to drink the night away, I investigated the stories a little, and I asked the bard what he knew of this Dragonborn figure."

"And?" This is infinitely more interesting than thinking about our badly failed mission, which has been weighing heavily on my mind ever since we arrived here. "What have you learned?"

"Well, it seems that this Dragonborn is a heroic figure, one who travels across Skyrim, slaying dragons left and right. And in doing so, the Dragonborn prevents them from coming back to life. From what I gathered, only the Dragonborn has such a power." I'm not entirely sure what he's getting at, but he takes a breath, and I assume that he's about to get to the point. "It is said that the Dragonborn steals the souls of dragons, leaving behind nothing but a pile of bones." He turns to me, an excited glint in his eye. "After attending our first battle against a dragon, does that sound familiar to you?"

"Stealing the souls of..." I think back to the battle, and the imagine of Kaea standing on the dragon's fleshless skull comes to mind. "The dragon last night, it was like all of its skin, muscles, and organs turned to dust. There was nothing left but bones..." My eyes widen. "She was standing on the dragon, and when her blade went through its skull, everything turned white, and the dragon glowed before turning into a skeleton."

Itachi squints a little, as though in pain. "Last night, I chanced a look at the dragon while it was dying. And from what I saw, I would say the the glow was not centered around just the dragon, but from the dragon, to her. And I believe that our hostess is keeping a rather interesting secret from us, though I have yet to confirm anything." He says that, but this is Itachi. If he suspects something, then more often than not, he's right.

I place the vial on the bedside table and stare at my brother. "Then...what do you plan to do with your suspicion?"

My brother smiles slightly. "Why, I thought that we might ask our hostess about it during lunch." He tosses fresh clothes at me, though I know for certain that they aren't my own. "Wash up, little brother. I will be in the kitchen, should you need me."

He glides gracefully out of the room, his long midnight black hair singing behind him, looking freshly washed. Then, I glance down at a washbasin set into a stand beside the bed, filled to the brim with steaming water. _How convenient._ I shake my head and reach for a cloth, soaking it in the water before running it through my hair, flattening the unruly spikes. I've long since given up trying to control my hair, since even my usual cowl refuses to flatten it.

Ten minutes pass, and I finish washing and dressing myself in the dark blue tunic and even darker brown pants. They're not a perfect fit, but they're comfortable, and that's what counts. Once my boots are on my feet, I leave the bedroom and poke my head out into the kitchen, where I spot Itachi moving around, seemingly helping Kaea to prepare the food. The smell of hot stew fills the air, and the effect is mouthwatering.

"I smell food!" A bright bundle of energy comes flying down the stairs, clad in a dusky orange tunic and crimson pants, his blond hair sticking up in all directions and flicking droplets of water all over.

Kaea rolls her eyes and flicks her hand towards Naruto. A moment later, he falls flat on his face, his feet frozen to the floor. "Calm down, fool. There's plenty of food for everyone." She leans over the pot, stirring it a few times, before moving it away from the heat of the flames.

She's wearing different clothing today, there is no leather to be seen, only short cloth robes, and a hood that falls over her shoulders. And her hair, pulled back in braids from her temples, before being fastened behind her head and allowed to flow down her back, reveals her pointed ears quite prominently. But even beyond the pointed ears and graceful features, there's something distinctly unearthly about her. _I wonder if Itachi is right..._

Itachi passes me a bowl of stew, and encourages me to take a seat and eat. But while the stew is certainly good, it' my brother and our hostess who keep my attention. Because if I know him as well as I think I do, then he's just waiting for the right moment to interrogate her. Gently, of course, because he insists that while it's best to be diplomatic with everyone, it is especially important to be delicate when dealing with women.

Not that I see any reason to be delicate with this girl, not after watching her stab a spectral sword through a dragon's skull.

Naruto, now freed from the ice spell, is too busy with his food to ask any questions and stays relatively quiet as my brother starts to press the topic. "So, I was wondering if you could tell me more about this Dragonborn that the people of this region seem to revere."

There's an almost imperceptible twitch of her hand. But as assassins, it's part of our training to pick up on the little things. "Oh, and what exactly do you want to know. I'm hardly an expert on the topic. Why don't you try asking your most important questions?" She sounds sincere, mostly. but there's an undercurrent to her tone that throws me off a little. _She's definitely hiding something..._ And judging by Itachi's expression, he knows it too.

"You rather me be frank, then?" Itachi laces his fingers together, his gaze fixed solely on her. "If so, I could easily ask about the dragon last night, and how you appeared to draw in its power, its very essence. Because from what I heard, that's exactly what you are best at, as I have been told that it is one of the many talents of a Dragonborn." As she stiffens, I know that Itachi's got her. "Or should I say...The Last Dragonborn."

With a blank face, she turns towards us, her eyes showing the only emotion within her. Wariness. "I just had to bring a smart assassin home, didn't I?"

Naruto's empty bowl drops to the floor, his eyes wide as he stares at the Dragonborn before us. "Then...all of the stories are true?"

"No." Her eyes darken with what looks like anger, or maybe disappointment. "After all, the stories generally point to the Dragonborn being a man. And clearly..."

"You're...not." Naruto's face flushes slightly. "Okay, so they got that wrong, but how much of it is true?"

She sighs and holds up a hand. "Well, first of all, the part about stealing the souls of dragons is true. But the part about me having to be the one to kill them is not."

Something about that seems wrong to me. "But...don't you have to have the killing blow in order to drag out the dragon's soul?" After all, the dragon didn't die until she stuck a sword into its brain.

"No." She presses her hand to her chest. "As long as I'm...there when the dragon dies, its soul will leave its body and enter mine, whether I perform the killing blow or not. I don't even have to participate in the battle to absorb it, though I only discovered that by accident..." Her gaze darkens again, and I can tell that there's a bad memory attached to that statement. _Maybe the battle went badly, and people died that she feels like she could have saved._ It's a slightly foreign sentiment to me, being an assassin, a paid murderer, but it's one that I've heard described before. The guilt faced by the survivor of a battle, no matter how impossible it was to save everyone.

"So, in theory, as long as you had competent companions to fight for you, there would be no need for you to actually do anything, am I correct?" Itachi puts it gently, but there's still a slight feeling of callousness to the question.

And Kaea certainly look affronted by the suggestion. "In theory, yes. However, in practice, I would never allow someone to fight my battles for me. I may seem young to most, but I'm as dangerous as many of the most experienced warriors. I spent fifteen years at the College of Winterhold, rifling through spell books before I could even read them, picking mushrooms and grasses from the Arch-Mage's garden to poison myself with before I even knew what alchemy was." Her eyes light up with a fiery glow. "I was six years old when I cast my first destruction spell, eight when I first healed someone, and eleven when I summoned my first storm atronach. At twelve, I was summoning weapons and striking down the ice wolves that would wander towards the college in the dead of winter. And at fifteen, I left the college behind and went to the Thieves Guild, where I honed all of my talents further, before all of this damn Dragonborn business was dropped on my head!"

Her hands are shaking, but Itachi is still unnervingly calm, despite the fact that it feels like there is lightning arcing through the air. "I see...that's quite a lot of expectations to put on a girl before she is even fully grown. It would seem that this entire land expects you to save them, even without knowing who you are. They call you their hero without even knowing your face. Or...do you prefer it this way, because if they don't know your face, then you won't have to face up to their expectations in public?"

She moves so quickly that I nearly blink it and miss it. But in that moment, she's at Itachi's throat with that same wickedly sharp dagger that she had pointed at Naruto yesterday, and she growls like a feral beast. "I never asked for this, I never wanted this. I never wanted to be a bastard, halfling child that was handed off to the mages when I was only a few days old. Akatosh be damned, because I never asked for this curse. If he wants someone to fight Alduin, then he should ask one of those priests who offer him prayers on their knees, because I do not serve the Divines." She backs away and displays the dagger prominently. "This is the weapon gifted to me by the Prince of Destruction, Mehrune's Razor, a token of Lord Dagon's favor to his champion."

Naruto sputters in his seat, his eyes growing ever wider. "You're a Daedra worshipper!?" Itachi's eyes widen, and my own blood goes deathly cold. _She serves those fiends?_ A wave of disgust rolls through me at the thought of condemning myself to the service of the Daedric Princes. I may not be the most virtuous of people, but by the Nine, I would not cling so much to the Daedra after being blessed by one of the Divines.

"Hmph, don't compare me to those fools who tend to the Daedric shrines." She holds herself proudly, as though pleased that she serves the dark side of the immortal plane. "The Divines watch from afar, never speaking to their pawns, their goals and interests always a mystery. The Daedra are straightforward, they make their intentions and their requests plain, and offer a choice that can be easily refused. Lord Dagon has asked nothing of me that I was not doing already. I use his weapon to kill the beasts that think it wise to attack me, and the enemies that believe me to be an easy target. I have brought down dragons with this weapon. And with that, he is more than satisfied." She reaches for the pitch black bow from last night. "And this is a gift from Lady Nocturnal, patron of the Thieves Guild, the Daedric Prince of Darkness, She who gifts us our luck. Yes, I speak to the Daedra! After all, none of the Divines could be bothered to answer my calls for help." She spits the words out bitterly, like bad medicine. "At least with the Daedra, I know what they ask of me."

Naruto sputters again, this time, getting out of his seat and grabbing her by the arm and pulling her close so that they stand face to face. "If you pledge yourself to the Daedra, your soul will never be released to Sovngarde!"

"My soul will never make that journey." Her voice turns quickly to ice. "I have pledged myself to Lady Nocturnal, and upon my death, my soul will go to the Evergloam, her realm of eternal night. And there, I will be one of her sentinels until my debt to her is repaid."

My jaw nearly drops open. _She has pledged herself to a Daedra and damned her soul to the planes of Oblivion! Why!?_

Her eyes find each of us, and she scoffs quietly. "A thief who would steal an Elder Scroll, and two assassins with the Dark Brotherhood would judge me for consorting with the Daedra? What fools..." She shakes her head cynically. "In any case, since the three of you seem to be utterly repulsed by the choices I make, then I suggest that you head for the College of Winterhold. If there is anyone who can investigate how you came to be here, as well as determine if there is a way to use the Elder Scroll to send you back to your home, then they will know."

Naruto steps back in shock. "But, I thought that you wanted the Elder Scroll for yourself." And judging by how insistently she took the Elder Scroll yesterday, I would have to agree with the moron.

"And I did." She turn towards one of the cupboards and removes the scroll from inside. "During the night, I brought the scroll up to the Throat of the World and read from it. It provided me with the information I required from it, and now I have no more use for it."

That prods at me in ways that I don't like. "What do you mean you read it? If it's true that this scroll is what threw us forward in time by two hundred years, then how can you open it safely?" Something about this just feels really wrong.

She turns her gaze on me, her clear blue eyes as cold as before. "I am the Last Dragonborn. Now, if that is all you want to know, then I suggest that you head off to Winterhold. If you tell them that Kaea sent you to see the Arch-Mage, they will bend over backwards to see to it that you get his help. There is a carriage just outside of the city that will take you to Winterhold."

With that, she turns around and marches upstairs, disappearing into the locked room and closing the door quite vigorously behind her. Itachi's eyes, which had followed her every movement, fall back to the scroll in Naruto's hands. "Very well, it seems that this is our chance to investigate our unfortunate circumstances." He rises to his feet and dumps water on the fire in the hearth. "Let's be off. The sooner we leave, the sooner we find this college."

I look back into the house for a moment, taking the chance to change back into my armor before we head out. From here, it's on to Winterhold and whatever lies ahead of us.


	4. The College of Winterhold

**I'm honestly surprised with how quickly I'm coming up with the plot off the top of my head. I haven't felt this inspired to write in a while. And now that I've got all of this week's assignments out of the way, I actually have some more time to write. Though it doesn't help that I'm sick with a cold.**

 **Luckily, I have a long thanksgiving weekend, and next week, I only have two days of class.**

* * *

Naruto's P.O.V.

 _I can't believe it. There's just no way that this place can possibly be Winterhold. Winterhold was a huge city, looking out over the sea. This place is just...dead._

"Hey, moron, what's got you so spooked?" Sasuke elbows me in the gut, dragging me forcefully out of my thoughts.

I look around at the desolate village that is all that's left of the city, the rest of it just...gone. "This...is just so wrong. Winterhold is supposed to be huge, a magnificent city to rival even Solitude. This place..."

"It would seem that this place was victim to a great catastrophe in the two hundred years that have passed." Itachi is right about that though I would call that something of an understatement. It's not his fault, though. There's no way that he would know what this place looked like two hundred years ago.

There are no people along the street as we pass by the inn, but up ahead, there is a stone bridge that leads up into the air. I point towards the stone bridge. "There, that's where the college is."

"Very well, let's investigate." Itachi turns towards the bridge, no fear at all in his step as he approaches the center of all magical learning in Skyrim.

I'll admit to being a little wary of the mages, but I know that it's only the necromancers that you really have to be careful with. Still, since I have no talent for magic, myself, I've never had a reason to go any closer to the college than this. And it doesn't help that standing on the bridge is one of the college mages. _Well, it's a little different than I remember, but those are definitely college robes..._

Itachi, undaunted by the mage in front of us, steps forward, only for the Altmer to stop him. "Who are you to approach the College of Winterhold?"

"We come seeking counsel with the Arch-Mage." Itachi moves smoothly towards her.

She looks him up and down, frowning. "The Arch-Mage is busy. Too busy for the affairs of outsiders."

He remains undaunted by her rather terrifying tone. "And what would it take to convince you otherwise?"

"Perhaps...a show of skill?" She flicks her wrist and holds a ball of light above her palm. "We do not often allow outsiders entry into the college. However, if you prove your own skill with magic, you will be allowed inside the walls."

"I see." That could be a problem, seeing as I sure don't know any magic, and I haven't seen either of these two use it either. But with a wave of his hand, several small orbs of light float around Itachi. _Illusion magic...?_ "Will this suffice?"

She nods, then looks around him to set eyes on the two of us. "And these two...?"

"My younger brother and a traveling companion." Itachi seems to sense an issue approaching, so he heads her off. "We were sent here by a girl named Kaea. She said that you would know that name."

"Kaea?" Her eyes widen. "You have seen Arch-Mage Aren's daughter?"

"Daughter?" Now, I'm confused. "Is the Arch-Mage her mother?"

The Altmer's eyes turn sharply to me. "Arch-Mage Savos Aren is a man. He took the girl in as an infant, and she has been raised among us nearly her entire life. But it has been nearly a year since anyone from the college has set eyes on her. We have heard whispers and rumors, but the Arch-Mage's daughter remains absent."

Itachi nods his head. "My apologies. When last we saw her, she was in Whiterun. It had just been attacked by a dragon, and if I were to guess, I would say that she is unlikely to still be within the city."

"Yes...I would assume so." The high elf draws herself up proudly."I am Faralda, one of the mages here at the college. And if Lady Kaea wishes for you to see the Arch-Mage, then I will be sure to inform him of your arrival." She turns away from us and walks over the bridge and off towards the giant structure at the end of the precarious walking structure.

Sasuke scoffs at the high elf's back. "I suppose that's her way of saying 'Come in, we don't bite'?"

"It would be wise to take it as such." Itachi steps forward, ignoring the rickety old bridge that looks like it could give way at any moment and send us plummeting hundreds of feet to our death. He's pretty fearless, I'll give him that. _I wonder if he has any Nordic blood in him..._

I follow behind Itachi, and it's his little brother who is a bit skittish about walking over the bridge. Of course, since Itachi is already nearly at the end, neither of us are about to let him leave us behind. I close my eyes briefly as I pass over the most dangerous looking part of the bridge, and somehow, I make it to the other side without falling to my death. _Oh, thank Talos...I'm still alive._

With the bridge behind us, we follow Faralda into the inner ring of the College grounds. And as this is Winterhold, it doesn't surprise me that this place is covered in snow as well. _Maybe they haven't figured out a spell to keep the cold out, yet._ Though that would surprise me, since it seems like mages can do just about anything.

She points across the courtyard to a pair of large doors. "Arch-Mage Aren will be inside the Hall of the Elements. There is no lecture at the moment, but do your best to remain quiet. Students here may be working on delicate experiments, and nothing good can come of disturbing them." After her rather ominous warning, she turns and walks through the closest door, disappearing into one of the towers.

His eyes fixed on the large doors, Itachi strides forward without hesitation, pushing one of the doors open and disappearing inside. I move to follow, only for a girl with unnaturally pink hair to pop up beside me and tug on my arm. "Hi there! You're new, right!?"

"Uh...?" I'm not entirely sure how to respond to that question. "Well-"

"Come with me!" She pulls on my arm and drags me off towards another tower. And as I look behind me, I see a Khajiit about our age tugging Sasuke off as well.

 _What's going on here!?_

* * *

Itachi's P.O.V.

Before the door slams shut, I witness my brother and the thief being dragged off by what looks to be a couple of the students here. _Well...we've been here only minutes, and already they've gotten themselves into trouble..._ But if they believe that I will be the one rescuing them, they'll be sorely disappointed. If they can't extricate themselves from the clutches of a couple of eager students, then it simply means that they have to train themselves harder. Besides, this could be a good learning experience for Sasuke, he's never been interested in learning magic before, despite how incredibly useful it is.

I, however, have more important things to do than humor some students right now. Though I may seek out whoever is most gifted in illusion magic later, since I have a feeling that this issue is not going to be resolved quickly, if it is even possible. I have only ever heard the vaguest whisperings of Elder Scrolls, let alone anything of this nature. Therefore, I know full well that it might not be wise to hold out much hope of ever reversing this situation and returning to our own time.

Inside the large, circular room, decorated with a large glowing basin in the center, is an elderly dark elf. _He must be Arch-Mage Aren..._ I approach him quietly, though I believe that he knows full well that I am here.

"You may come closer, boy. I'm hardly going to set you aflame." There is a soft chuckle in his voice, an almost sarcastic tone. And it would seem that the gray of his beard and the wrinkles on his brow belie his true nature.

I was never afraid of approaching him, cautious perhaps, but not afraid. Fear clouds one's judgment, but caution is necessary when dealing with someone possessing the powers I am certain that he has. Though I'm sure that introductions should be conducted. "Of course, sir. My name is Itachi Uchiha, and I am a member of the Dark Brotherhood. I was sent here by your...daughter, she suggested that I seek your help with a rather difficult matter."

"Did she now?" He turns to face me, an almost cynical expression on his face. "For her to send you here so soon after you have seen her, it must be something that she is incapable of fixing on her own."

"That would appear to be the case." I raise up the Elder Scroll for his perusal. "My brother and I were sent after the thief who took this scroll while en route to the White Gold Tower in the Imperial City. We apprehended the thief, but in the struggle, the scroll fell open, pouring whatever magic it possessed into the air. And when we awoke, we discovered it to be one hundred and ninety-three years removed from our own time."

Aren takes hold of the scroll, examining it cautiously. "You were able to view an Elder Scroll without being blinded?"

That's not quite the reaction I was expecting. "Well, for a moment, it did feel as though I were blinded, but I believe that was simply because the scroll emanated light as bright as the sun."

"I see." He scrutinizes me, before turning his attention back to the scroll. "Then I take it that you are from the past?"

"That is correct." His every mannerism is making me believe that this venture might very well end in failure. "I had hoped that here, we might find a way to return to our own time. Kaea seemed to believe that this might be the place most likely to contain the knowledge we need."

The Arch-Mage frowns. "If that is the case, then I am sorry. I do not possess intimate knowledge of the Elder Scrolls, and can only speculate about their powers. Our librarian may know more, but only those such as the Greybeards and Moth Priests have sufficient knowledge of the Elder Scrolls to say whether or not such a thing is possible."

"The Greybeards?" That sounds rather promising. "Who...and where are they?" If there is nothing here that can help us, then it sounds like these Greybeards should be our next destination.

Aren's eyes twinkle slightly. "Well now...I do believe that they are among my daughter's newest teachers. They, after all, know more about the Voice than any others. They have likely been teaching her to control her newfound Dragonborn abilities."

Now, things are starting to come together. There are, however, a few things that still make little sense. And all of them are centered around one person. "You call her your daughter...and yet, when we were with her in Whiterun, she claimed that she was the bastard child of a Jarl and his elven mistress."

Aren chuckles quietly. "So...the girl thought to reveal as much. Those here at the college are well aware that she is the illegitimate child of one of the Jarls, however, they have not been told which one. And as the child is sixteen years old, there are many who could have sired her, both Jarls past and present. However, she was born here at the college, and at the behest of her mother, who died shortly after giving birth to her, I have raised her as my own. Though I have never hidden her parentage from her, as I believed, and still do, that she deserves to know who she is and where she comes from. Though, at the time, I had never expected her to be the Last Dragonborn, the one that the Nords sing so proudly of."

Now, there's something else that doesn't seem quite right. "And...how did you come to know that she is Dragonborn? I thought that she hasn't been seen here since before she discovered it."

"Well, I would not be a very good Arch-Mage if I couldn't keep a discreet eye on the child who insisted on running away to join the thieves in Riften, or who has been summoned to High Hrothgar by the Greybeards." He hums rather contentedly. "I have seen her slay dragons and daedra, make pacts with those who rule the planes of Oblivion, and even take coins from unsuspecting pockets to pass them off to the beggars that dot Skyrim's cities." And though nearly all of that is dangerous, blasphemous, or against the law, he still speaks of her fondly. There is clearly far more to this Dragonborn than meets the eye.

For now, though, it would seem that my next stop is to their librarian.

* * *

Sasuke's P.O.V.

After being pulled through two doors and down a flight of stairs, I yank my arm of of the Khajit's grip. "Who are you and what do you want with me!?"

"Oh, sorry bout that." He raises a furry hand to his head and rubs his ears. "Name's Kiba. I'm a mage here at the college."

"Yes, I gathered that." From what I can tell, Itachi, Naruto, and I are the only ones here who aren't with the college. "And what do you want with me?"

He grins, showing off rows of sharp teeth. "Well, I was watchin' you come in, and saw that other guy playing with illusion magic. So, I wanted ta see what you've got."

My eye twitches. "Well, I could put an arrow through you, if you'd like."

He blinks slowly. "Not a mage?" I shake my head. "Hm...or maybe not a mage, yet!" He grins like a wild beast. "Ya seem like ya would be fond of destruction magic."

"Destruction magic?" The thought of hurling fireballs around does hold some appeal, but with all the time I've spent with the Dark Brotherhood, I've just never explored the possibility of picking up some of the same skills as my brother. They just seem fartoo flashy for an assassin, though...maybe not for fighting dragons. "Why would you think that?"

"Ya just seem like a fiery person!" He laughs as a ball of fire swirls to life in his furry palm. "I can teach ya, if ya want. It's not hard like those prissies in the Hall of Countenance say it is. Ya just gotta want to create fire, and-" The fireball grows in size until it's as large as a small boulder. He tosses it over into the middle of the empty room and the fireball explodes in a shower of molten light. "Boom!"

I swallow nervously as I behold the destruction caused by his spell. "Is there...anything easier I could try?" Of course, that's probably easier said than done, considering that I've never used magic in my life.

He nods eagerly. "Yea' but first, drink this!" He shoves a bottle in my face and the contents swirl around. "It'll get yer magic flowin'!"

"If you say so..." I take the bottle gingerly and uncork the concoction. I take a whiff of it, and admittedly, it smells a lot better than the last thing I was offered. And even if it's poisoned, I should be fine. I would be a terrible assassin if I hadn't built up a resistance to poison. "Down the hatch..." I tip my head back and empty the bottle within a few gulps. And it certainly tastes fine.

Then, I start to feel strange. Kiba keeps grinning. "Usually we save those fer replenishin' our magic in a fight, but fer someone whose never used it before, I thought it might help ya out a bit."

I certainly feel different, almost...hot? I flick my fingers, and the heat grows, almost like an instinct. "What...do I do?"

"Don't ask me, yer already doin' it." Kiba snickers at me as I look down to my hands.

Fire. There are flames flickering over my fingertips. I raise my hands up, pointing them far away from any target, and as the heat within me increases, the flames start jumping out of control, until they spill from my fingers and shoot out into the middle of the room. Light flashes from the center of the room until the heat starts to disappear, and the fire dies down.

Kiba nods his head approvingly. "Perfect, yer already gettin' the idea. You'll hafta wait a minute between tries, but the more ya practice, the easier it'll get. Ye'll be roastin' trolls and giants before ya know it!"

I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to be running into battle against trolls and giants in the near future. But I suppose that it might not hurt to practice on some wolves. I saw some while we were on our way here, so if I go far enough outside the city, after sufficient practice, I might be able to clear a few wolves out of the mountains.

* * *

Naruto's P.O.V.

The girl with the bright pink hair finally stops pulling me after we've climbed like a hundred stairs, and into a small alcove with a bed, an alchemy table, and an enchanting table, along with a million books on the shelves, probably all to do with magic. She grins brightly and lets go of my arms. "So, what's your specialty!?"

"My...what?" I blink at her, not understanding what she's talking about.

She rolls her eyes slightly. "What kind of magic do you use?"

Suddenly, I feel rather stupid for asking. _Of course she would assume that...I'm in a place where everyone studies magic._ "Uh...I don't use any magic...at all. I've never had a talent for magic." I actually feel a bit bad when her face falls slightly.

But she perks right back up anyway. "That's okay, there are a couple of things you can do here even if you don't know magic." She points over at the alchemy table. "I can teach you some alchemy, if you like. I'm in the Restoration discipline, so I make alchemy a hobby. It's a lot easier to treat people if you make your own potions!"

She races for the bed and tugs out a huge chest underneath it. I raise an eyebrow, a little bewildered. "What's in the chest?"

She throws it open with a smile, revealing a plethora of flowers. "Alchemy ingredients. I've got some really generous suppliers. They bring me whatever ingredients they come across while they race across Skyrim. And they bring me a lot of rare stuff as well. I'd go get it myself, but..." She holds up what looks like a nearly beating heart. "Some things are just too dangerous for me to go and get myself. Like this daedra heart." She smiles painfully. "I might be good at healing, and even at driving a dagger into someone's brain, but I wouldn't want to take my chances fighting minor daedra."

I remember the stories from when I was a kid, hearing about the daedra during the Oblivion Crisis. Gates to the planes of Oblivion opening everywhere, and daedra pouring out of them. The stories of them were terrifying, and anyone strong enough to fight them would be considered a hero. "So...how exactly am I supposed to learn alchemy? Do you have a recipe book or something?"

She grins slyly. "Do I have a recipe book?" She waves her hand towards the bookshelves. "I think I have a few..." As it all sinks in, her grin grows wider. "And just wait until I show you what I've got for enchanting."


	5. Elven Hunting Party

**Alright, so last night, there was a major power outage that set my writing back by a fair bit. The entire campus went down, and we were running on backup generators for about two hours before they shut those off as well. There was no internet, no light, and it was all around miserable and maddening (so much so, that someone in my dorm suggested that we go out hunting clowns, it almost sounded like an episode of Supernatural). So...that's what my night was like. And then the lights came back on at 5 in the morning, and I was still awake, and ended up turning off the lights before trying to sleep for a couple more hours before my three hour archaeology class.**

 **By the way, Hinata and Neji are probably going to seem a little weird and a bit OOC (because who wouldn't if they've been taken completely out of context), but they're older, about eighteen (Hinata) and nineteen (Neji), and they've been out killing all that scary shit that you try NOT to run into in the middle of nowhere. Hinata will, however, still stutter if sufficiently embarrassed.**

 **This chapter is done entirely in Kaea's P.O.V.**

* * *

Kaea's P.O.V.

I crouch in the snow and dirt, my hands passing over the tracks before me. "Undead. Walking skeletons from the looks of it." If there's one thing I hate about Skyrim, it's the abundance of undead running about. Whether through necromancers, or those irritating Draugr that fill the tombs and ruins that I find myself exploring, it seems like Skyrim is being overrun by walking corpses. Though, to be fair, I suppose that they do make for good target practice when practicing with my bow, or with my destruction magic.

"Then that means we're on the right trail." Neji's hand glows as magic fills the air, a spell for detecting the dead. His white eyes flit eerily over the landscape, and though he looks blind, he is incredibly clear-sighted. "There, to the north-east, four of them." If there is anything I trust, it is Neji's eyes. Especially in a case where undead are walking around, their distance from their now dead summoner keeping them from crumbling from the magical shock. Necromancy is such an annoyance to clean up after.

"I see them." Neji's cousin, Hinata, readies her enchanted dragonbone bow with arrows that crackle with lightning, her own clear-sighted white eyes peering deep into the trees, heavy with snow. She closes one eye, and looses four arrows in quick succession. And judging by the unearthly wails, she's hit every single target. Of course, with her experience, that's hardly a surprise.

"Nicely done." I keep a hand on my dagger as I walk down into the woods. If there's anything I've learned from hunting with Hinata and Neji, it's that the undead have a habit of picking up rather interesting items. We once found a group of them that had the bright idea of looting a dragon's corpse and replacing some of their missing bones with dragon bones. It was after that hunt that we had a dragonbone bow made for Hinata.

In between the trees, four skeletons lie prone, whatever spell controlling them broken by the force of the shock enchanted arrows. I'm starting to get really sick of these necromancers who just raise the dead, then leave them to wander the countryside. Plus, these skeletons look rather bare, which means that all there is here is to harvest the bonemeal for our favorite alchemist. Though I'm not entirely sure I want to know what she does with it. I can only hope that she doesn't try to make me drink a potion with the bonemeal ground into it.

I'm sure that Sakura will be pleased with all that we've gathered for her in the last couple of weeks. We cut her a pretty good deal for the ingredients, less than half the cost of getting them from anywhere else, and to her delight, we bring her a lot of rare stuff too, nirnroot, briar hearts, elemental salts, ice wraith teeth, and even a steady supply of daedra hearts. All items far too dangerous for most adventurers to collect. So in return, she supplies us with potions at a discount if we ever need them. And she's been good at keeping our location secret whenever we get near Winterhold. At least, I assume so, considering that we haven't had anyone from the upper echelon of the college coming out to meet with us rather than her.

"Let's head back and collect the bounty." Neji leans against a tree, flipping one of his daedric daggers over in his hand. I offered to get him some dragonbone daggers, but he insists that he prefers the sleek design of daedric weapons to the bulky weight of dragonbone. It also explains why he stubbornly prefers a daedric bow to his cousin's dragonbone bow, even though Hinata's bow has a greater draw weight and more power behind it.

Neji can be stubborn in the strangest ways. But, he's a good companion and an excellent fighter, so I can overlook his eccentricities. I do, after all, have my own when it comes to my insistence on sewing together my leather and cloth armors before having our alchemist set down enchantments on them. They're good for both warmth and protection, and with their enchanted properties similar to those of my favorite leather armor, courtesy of Tonilia, they make traveling and fighting much easier.

"Very well, then." I stuff the bonemeal into my satchel and set fire to the skeletons, letting them burn to ash before stomping the last flames out. "We'll head back to Winterhold, collect the bounty, and make a delivery to Sakura. I'm sure that she'll be happy with our delivery this time."

Hinata giggles quietly. "Perhaps we should make a detour to Whiterun. I'm sure that Tenten would be happy to see us."

Neji's expression turns stony as I smile. "Well, that sounds like a good idea, doesn't it, Neji?" One day, I believe that the two of us are going to drive Neji to do something desperate, just in an attempt to shut us up.

He glowers at the two of us, which isn't new, since this is hardly the first time we've teased him about his fixation on the Breton girl who serves as an apprentice to Adrianne. In fact, he is so fixated on her that I'm tempted to hang an amulet of Mara around his neck and push him right into the girl's lap. Even for a highborn Bosmer, Neji is unnaturally uptight when it comes to seeking people's affections. You'd think he was an Altmer, since those High Elves always seem to have poles shoved a mile up their rears. But, again, I accept, indulge, and largely ignore his eccentricities.

My smile then reaches up to my eyes. "Maybe while we're in Winterhold, Sakura can sneak a letter to Kiba and bring him to see you, Hinata." Her cheeks turn pink as I mention that boisterous Kajiit. Honestly, she and her cousin are so easy to tease once you find the right buttons to push.

* * *

The trip to Winterhold is long and cold, but that's nothing new for the three of us. Ever since the two of them left Valenwood two years ago, they've been to some of the harshest regions of Tamriel. Skyrim is only the latest stop in their travels, though they seem rather content to stay here. Probably because it's the furthest region on the continent from Valenwood.

And then...there are the matters of Tenten and Kiba. Those that draw out the tender hearts of my companions.

But all of that can wait while I push open the door of the Jarl's longhouse. I step inside, and sitting there lazily on his throne is Korir, the Jarl of Winterhold. I'm not fond of dealing with the Jarls, but it's a necessary evil in my life. After all, I can't just go around killing whatever I please without drawing some attention.

I walk up to the Jarl and show him the mage's's staff. "The necromancer is dead, and we swept through the woods and disposed of all of the undead."

"Good." As usual, he glares at me disapprovingly. He's never been a fan of mages, and it's no secret here in Winterhold that I was trained at the college for nearly my entire life. He tosses a small sack of coins to me. "Your gold." Turning in bounties like this adds to the coin we get from selling ingredients to Sakura, as well as handing off the wares we pick up during our adventures to merchants and fences.

I nod politely and turn to leave. This is quite normal, as I wouldn't want to overstay my very short and rather chilly welcome. It's cold even by Skyrim's standards. Outside, Neji and Hinata are waiting for me up the steps to the Frozen Hearth Inn. We usually stay here a night so that we can meet up with Sakura before setting out again. Like this, we should be able to rid ourselves of everything short of our armor and weapons.

We weren't very welcome here at first, but by now, Dagur just keeps his largest room free for the three of us whenever we pass through the city. It's not hard, seeing as very few pass through the city anyway. But I'm sure that he's just friendly to us now because of all of the coin we bring through the inn. Without our generosity during our secret meetings, his inn likely would have gone belly up by now.

The three of us enter the inn, and I raise my hand as Dagur looks up from the bar. "We're here for the night, if you'll have us."

He nods with a faint smile and points to the large back room. "S'all yours. Ya need any mead?"

I turn to Neji, who shrugs. "It would do well to dispel the chill."

He's got a point, since there's nothing better than some well-aged mead to drive away the cold. "Then dig some out of the cellar, whatever has the most dust on it." All those native to Skyrim know that the more dust its got on the outside, the more fire that'll be coursing through your veins on the inside. I set the gold on the counter as we pass by the bar and head into the back room.

As usual, there are four beds done up in this room, and there's plenty of room for us to put down our bags, heavy with pressed, dried, powdered, and otherwise preserved alchemy ingredients, along with a few small enchanted items that Sakura might like to have a look at. That girl's curiosity and thirst for knowledge is insatiable.

While I start pulling ingredients out of the bags, Neji heads outside to send a message off to Sakura. I usually let him and Hinata send the messages while we're in Winterhold, since I really don't need to be seen by anyone else from the college. Thankfully, Nelacar and Enthir are pretty reasonable, and it doesn't seem like they've told anyone yet. Mostly because Nelacar doesn't really associate much with the college anymore, and because Enthir knows that if he rats me out, I could tell the college all sorts of things about his less than legal activities.

By evening, the three of us are warm and pleasantly tipsy from the copious amounts of mead that we've drunk to pass the time while planning out our next hunting trip. We've been considering heading up to Shearpoint so that I can get a look at the word wall up there. The only problem is that, after scouting it out from a distance, we discovered that not only is it guarded by a dragon who has a nest up there, but there's a sarcophagus nestled next to the wall. And so far, the only things I've seen coming out of those are Draugr, and judging by how ornate it was, likely one that can Shout.

So, we've gone to great lengths to avoid going up there, despite the temptation of fighting a dragon over a word in the old dragon language, as well as the temptation of whatever is in that chest that Neji spotted. We may like hunting dragons and the undead, but the three of us are far from suicidal.

That's then the door opens and a familiar head of pink hair comes trotting into the room. "Hey, you three! I heard that you've got some good stuff for me this time!" She saunters over to the open bags, and a tall blond Nord follows her about three feet into the room.

And when our eyes meet, I resist the urge to groan, whereas he sputters loudly. "You!?"

I sigh and press my fingers to my temples. "Yes, me. Did you think that I would disappear just because you left Whiterun? I do get around, you know." He should know that very well, considering that I found them near Riften.

Naruto watches me warily, shifting around and giving me a wide berth. "So...what are ya doing here?" _Looks like he's still skittish about the whole making pacts with Daedra thing... Ignorant idiot..._

I point towards the bags that Sakura is now fussing over. "We come back every two or three weeks to sell stuff to Sakura." Though I'm sure that he's heard at least something about it, considering that Sakura seems to have dragged him along to this meeting.

"We?" Naruto's eyes flick around the room, falling on Neji and Hinata. "Oh." His eyes widen, and there seems to be nothing more that he can bring himself to say.

Neji rolls his eyes. "Another Nord struck speechless by the sight of two elves." He's right, this is hardly the first time that our party has stunned, shocked, surprised, and or otherwise caused members of the native population to become speech-impaired.

"Be nice." Hinata taps her cousin lightly on the shoulder. Then, she smiles warmly at Naruto. "Hello, my name is Hinata, and this is Neji. We are from Valenwood. You would know us as the Wood Elves, or Bosmer."

Her introduction makes me smirk, since it's obvious to anyone, what with their long dark hair, pointed ears, and exotic eyes, that they are elves. "Shouldn't you be paying a visit to a certain Khajiit?" I turn my smirk knowingly on Hinata.

She flushes bright pink and begins to stutter. "I-I don't know w-what y-you mean! W-we're here to d-do business w-with Sakura!"

I pick up another bottle of mead and dangle it in front of her. "That doesn't mean that you can't take some time tonight to go and visit." Then I uncork the bottle and bring it to my lips. _Family traditions be damned, those two should really just follow their hearts._ I'm certainly not one for family traditions. Though that's not hard when the closest you have to a family are a bunch of greedy pickpockets, and a bunch of senile old mages. I don't have any traditions to draw from in the first place. Well, except for the occasional nights of revelry, where copious amounts of mead are imbibed.

 _Hm...perhaps a trip to the guild is in order..._

Sakura looks up from the bags, a sympathetic smile on her face. "You know, it's been over a year since you last came inside the college...the others miss you. And I know he won't say it, but Arch-Mage Aren does too."

"And why should I go back to that place?" My eyes turn sharply to her. "It took me fifteen years to escape it the first time. No one wants to see me return." Though, in reality, it only took me a month, but I spent fifteen years in that place before finally leaving. And after I left, I hardly expect anyone to want me back. "If I'd wanted to return, I could have easily done it by now."

"Hm...you say that, but I don't think that's the truth." Sakura closes up the bags and walks over to my bed, sitting down next to me. "We all know that you three are the ones going around killing the dragons, and that you're the one keeping them dead. Without you, those dragons would be running amok across Skyrim. So I think that you'll be easily forgiven for your absence." And as I glare at her, she holds up her hands in surrender. "Hey, don't blame me. What could you expect, with a whole castle full of genius mages?"

"Tch." I bring the bottle to my lips again, letting the fiery mead swirl down my throat. "Just because you guys can spy on me, doesn't mean that I want you to."

"Well, if you would actually come check in at the college once in a while, no one would have to spy on you to make sure that you're okay." She bumps her shoulder against mine lightly. "So what do you say? Do you think you could help me haul all of this back to my room?"

With the bottle emptied, I put it down and glance back at the bags. _Well...it's not as though I can't escape again...I am an agent of Nocturnal, after all._ "Fine. I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to show my face for the first time in a year."

Sakura claps her hands. "Good! Now let's go! I'm sure that Kiba will be thrilled to see you three!" She grabs one of the bags and runs towards the door.

Neji sighs. "Well, I suppose we should be going."

"Yeah." I pick up one of the bags, the one with the supply of daedra hearts in it. "Let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the better." I toss the last of the bags to Naruto. "Don't drop that, or I will encourage Sakura to use you to test her new potions." That quickly silences whatever protests were about to leave his mouth.

Of course, seeing as Winterhold is now fairly small, it doesn't take us more than a couple of minutes to walk down the street and over the bridge to the front gates of the college. I grit my teeth slightly as the gates sense our arrival, opening all on their own.

And though I would say it was just my luck, my luck has been rather good lately, with Nocturnal watching over me. But despite my luck, half the college just has to be in the courtyard when we walk in. And while my hood obscures most of my face, I can feel eyes on me as we turn towards the Hall of Attainment. They're not ignorant, they know who has just walked into the courtyard. But at the doors, Sakura snatches the bag from me and hands it off to Neji, beckoning him and Hinata to follow. "Come on, I'll show you guys my room. Kiba should be in there too." She winks at me as the four of them disappear inside the doors, leaving me alone to be stared at.

Since she's obviously set this up, I might as well humor her for a bit. Catching the eyes of several of the teachers, I walk across the courtyard and straight to the doors of the Hall of the Elements. Because if I know the old man as much as I think I do, then he'll probably be in there right about now.

And he is, but he's certainly not alone. I don't know what's happened in the two weeks since I saw them last, but I was certainly not expecting those two assassins to be integrating themselves here so...thoroughly. They're in rather familiar college robes, modified a bit by the looks of it, less cloth needlessly flying about, and a bit more tight-fitting than the standard robes worn here.

From the looks of it, the brothers are dueling under the watchful eye of Tolfdir, our master of Alteration. It's probably best that way, he's by far one of the more responsible, if a bit eccentric teachers. I liked him, and from what Sakura told me months ago, he's one of one who was most upset by my decision to disappear.

As I approach them quietly, I can feel eyes on me. And I know already that they belong to a certain Dunmer. But he stays quiet, opting to continue watch, as usual, as Tolfdir takes notice of my presence and a smile creases his wizened face. _Of course he would know me at first sight._ "Well now, it seems that we have a master Conjurer returning to the college after a leave of absence." He gestures to the two assassins currently lowering their hands, spells dissipating. "Why don't you teach them about fighting familiars? I believe that a practical demonstration is in order." It reminds me of one of the first lessons that he taught to a few of the student who arrived shortly before I left. In fact, it was thanks to the commotion of their arrival, that I was able to slip out relatively unnoticed.

But a free pass and invitation to give a couple of initiates the runaround? That sounds exactly like what I need to blow off a little steam. "Gladly." I flick my wrist, and the room is bathed in a purple light. And out of the portal conjured by the magic, steps a fully fledged Dremora underling, a minor daedra, but still powerful enough to cause some havoc were I to let it loose outside. "Go." _Now, let's see if they've learned anything while I've been out hunting._

The dremora surges forward, drawing a long blade from its back and swinging it down towards Itachi. But, before the blade can connect, a fireball comes from somewhere in Sasuke's direction, and the blade is knocked from my daedric servant's hands as Itachi glows and disappears. And as another fireball comes flying at me, I put up a powerful ward. The fire slams against the shimmering shield, dispersing into the air without leaving a scratch on me.

The dremora charges again, this time racing towards Sasuke. His assassin's training has him reacting in an instant, pulling out a short blade to knock the dremora's strike aside, giving him the chance to charge his palm with another fireball and drive in into the dremora's skull. As it falls, two blades pierce it through, courtesy of Itachi, whose invisibility spell wears off a moment later. It's actually rather impressive how the two of them are able to fight in tandem, as well as switch between magic and melee at a moment's notice.

The dremora fades back to the planes of Oblivion, leaving Sasuke and Itachi standing there, watching me carefully. I smirk slightly, even though they can't see my face just yet. "Looks like your new students have picked up some tricks, powerful tricks." I step forward and slide down my hood. "Funny, I'd have thought you would have retired by now." And the brothers look as stunned as Naruto did earlier by my sudden appearance.

Tolfdir laughs good-naturedly. "Not quite yet, child. After all, I could hardly retire while there are still young ones who require guidance."

I frown slightly, knowing full well that while he means well, that jab was obviously directed at me. "Yes...well, Sakura decided that it would be a good idea for me to pay you all a visit, and you know as well as I that when she wants something, she will refuse to take no for an answer." Now, there is one other in the room who is waiting for my attention. My eyes find the elderly Dunmer, and I nod in his direction. "Good evening, Ata."

"Kaea..." He rises from his seat and strides over, dwarfing me significantly. His eye twinkle warmly as he gazes at me. "Welcome home, my child."


	6. The Prodigy Returns

**So...western Canada has basically been catching a typhoon on and off for the past week and a half, which is...fun. Though it makes getting to class kind of hard. And the library. But, I'm managing anyway, though it would be easier if my laptop were fixed.**

 **But we did get one day of sun before everything started clouding over again, which was nice (even though the forecast called for thunderstorms yesterday).**

 **Now, lots of P.O.V. hopping in this chapter, though I have tried to keep it coherent.**

* * *

Sasuke's P.O.V.

 _Ata? What does Ata mean?_ I watch cautiously as the dragon hunter easily converses quietly with the Arch-Mage. Honestly, after we left Whiterun, I wasn't expecting to see her again. We've been here for the last two weeks while the librarian works on studying the Elder Scroll, looking for a way to send us back, or at least for the reason that it sent us here in the first place. And until he's finished his work, whether it bears fruit or not, we're stuck here. And I hate being stuck.

Not that our time here has been unproductive. While some of the teachers largely ignore us, Tolfdir has been more than happy to instruct Itachi and I in various schools of magic, which mainly involves stuffing our noses into books until we're ready to apply theory to real spells. And Itachi would argue that, more than once, I've been a little too impatient with my spell-casting, and ended up needing that pink-haired healer's attention. _What spell went wrong that could have caused her hair to turn that color? Did she dump a potion on it? Or perhaps an incident while applying dye to clothing?_ In any case, it's highly unnatural, and somewhat jarring.

Of course, it's not my fault that magic is unstable to begin with. Besides, Itachi isn't learning magic that can blow things up, so he can hardly judge me for having a 'lack of skill'. Of course, knowing him, he would probably insist that he must be perfect at everything, and refuse to allow even practicing with magic to get the better of him.

As the Arch-Mage chuckles, seemingly done with his conversation with his adopted daughter, Tolfdir approaches her with a smile. "Kaea, I trust that your travels have done you some good."

"They have..." She seems hesitant to talk about it. "I accomplish more out there than I ever could within these walls, my nose stuffed into books every hour of the day." It looks to me like she didn't like being trapped here, not that I can blame her. I've only been here for a couple of weeks, and I'm already getting wanderlust.

"Indeed...indeed..." He nods sagely. "And how long will you be staying with us this time?"

Her eyes dull slightly. "I came to deliver some alchemical supplies to Sakura. I wasn't planning on staying in the city for more than a night." Her voice has a tinge of the cold weather to it. "However...I was spotted by that thief, Naruto, and there was little I could do to conceal my presence here once Sakura got it in her head to ask me to come pay a visit."

"Hm...well, if you decide to stay for a few days, I'm sure that I can find some of those rare tomes that you like so much." Tolfdir is clearly trying to tempt her into staying longer. "Your old room is just the way you left it, and I believe that Sakura dusted it earlier this evening."

"I see..." She sounds less than thrilled that she's being invited to stay longer. that, or she doesn't like anyone touching her room. "Are Sakura, Kiba, and Shino still on the top floor?"

Tolfdir nods. "As are our guests. The top floor is now quite full. And there are two free beds on the third floor, if your companions plan to stay as well."

"Good." She nods slightly, her eyes then fall on me, before finding Itachi. "I sent them here so that they could get help with their...traveling predicament. I hadn't realized that you would take them in as initiates."

"Well, the two are them are quite talented, if...a bit overeager." At that, all eyes are on me, making the hair on my neck stand up. Then, Tolfdir shrugs. "I saw no reason not to give them some formal instruction. In fact, they have progressed faster than any students I have ever seen...save for you."

"I see..." Her expression is unreadable, but there is no hostility in her eyes now. "Well, I suppose that it's best for them to be productive, rather than sitting on their hands while they wait for answers." Then, she turns back towards the doors. "Well, if my room has been freshly dusted, then I suppose that I should at least make use of it while I'm here." And with that, she strides towards the doors and disappears from the hall.

* * *

Itachi's P.O.V.

My foolish little brother's eyes linger on the girl as she leaves the hall. Whether in curiosity, disgust, or wariness, he seems to watch her with utmost vigilance. It's actually rather amusing to witness. Though I do wish that he would stop antagonizing her, either silently or verbally, for although she seems to have quite a grip on her temper, I would not count on that for long. I have seen her fight, and she is certainly fierce in battle. That fierceness is something I would rather not see turned on my brother. Particularly when I am not certain that I could protect him.

"Well, I do believe that your lessons have concluded for the day." Tolfdir nods his head in dismissal. "Why don't the two of you spend the rest of the evening sating your curiosity."

I nod quietly, half wondering what he means by curiosity. I know well that magic piques my curiosity, and the legends in this land interest me unlike any legends have before. Though as I look at Sasuke, it seems that his curiosity centers more around someone, rather than something. And I must admit that there is much that I would like to learn about the girl who seems to be caught up in a dozen plots, and most are not of her own making.

Now that we're free for the rest of the evening, Sasuke picks up a second layer of cloth and leather armor, strapping it on as though readying himself for a fight. "Itachi, I'm going for a walk. I'll return later."

That's a little suspicious. "Do you want company?"

"No." He straps on arm guards, as well as slinging his bow over his shoulder. "I'll be fine. I was only planning to go hunting for some wolves." He flicks his wrists and small flashes of fire dance along his fingers. "I was thinking of having new armor made, something a little more practical. Ice wolf pelts should make for good leather."

"I see." I know that a few wolves are no match for Sasuke, though I can't help worrying a little. "Well, I suggest that you find someone to go along with you, just in case. Being out in the snow at night is dangerous." The last thing we need is Sasuke getting himself injured or suffering from exposure to the elements.

He glares irritably at me as one of the doors coming from upstairs opens. "If you plan to go out hunting, I can show you where to find the wolves." A young man, perhaps a year older than Sasuke, with long dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail and white eyes that look nearly blind, steps forward.

"And you are?" Sasuke glares slightly at the newcomer.

The man appears unconcerned with the glare, and doesn't react at all to the less than warm welcome. "I am Neji, a companion of the Dragonborn." His eyes flick over Sasuke, then to me, proving quite well that if anything, he is certainly not blind. "I am well acquainted with the wilds of Skyrim, and can guide you out there, and back, even if a blizzard should find us."

Well, that certainly sounds like the kind of person that I would like Sasuke to have along with him for this hunting trip of his. "You would do that for my brother?" Though I must, at least at first, question his motives.

He nods to me. "If Lady Kaea saw fit to help you, then I will honor that."

While Sasuke grumbles, I take notice of a certain quirk that seems to be popping up around this place. "You call her 'Lady' Kaea. Why?"

The corners of his mouth turn up slightly. "You have been here for nearly two weeks, and you haven't figured it out yet?"

More than once, I've heard the older mages here call her by the light title, as a show of respect. And I have several theories. "Is it because she is the adopted daughter of the Arch-Mage, the illegitimate daughter of a Jarl, or because of who she is?"

Neji's smirk widens slightly. "Can it not be all three? Or perhaps, that her mother was, like my cousin and I, from a highborn family hailing from Valenwood? Her blood, position, and own personal talents demand respect, even if she herself would rather go unnoticed."

 _Would rather go unnoticed?_ I can certainly see that being the case. "Do you call her by that title in front of her?"

Neji chuckles lowly. "Of course not. I would be receiving a gift of her Voice, if I called her a lady in her presence." He likely jests, though I would not put it past her to grow agitated at the the title. From what I can tell, she would even prefer to be called a dragon hunter, than Dragonborn, despite the honor and fame associated with the latter. It's quite curious, and I am now quite intrigued.

Nevertheless, I approve of Neji accompanying Sasuke out into the wilderness. Kaea is clearly an accomplished warrior, and I doubt that she would travel with anyone who was not accomplished in their own right. Not with the kind of battles that she seems to fight. And as this is the first time that we have met, I see no reason for Neji to wish to harm Sasuke, not that I have no faith in my brother's ability to defend himself, if need be. Merely a cautious protectiveness.

With all of his new armor in place, Sasuke nearly bounds through the front door, followed closely by Neji. And as the older of the two turns, I notice the pointed ears on him. _Ah...that explains the eyes._ I'd heard rumors once of a clan in the living forests that possessed eyes that appeared blind, but could see like no other. It would seem that he is a descendant of those people.

Once my foolish little brother is out of sight, I remove myself from the Hall of the Elements and approach the Hall of Attainment. According to Tolfdir, Kaea's room should be on the top floor, and I do believe that I saw the Breton girl, Sakura, dusting the room between Naruto and Sasuke's yesterday. Which means that I do believe that I know where our mysterious rescuer might be right now.

The stairs, though slightly irritating to climb every day, prove no challenge, once again. And once at the top of the stairs, I hear movement in that very bedroom. _So, she has decided to stay..._ I stride across the top floor, past the room I have been given, and just past Sasuke's, allowing me to peek around the corner to see her with her head underneath the bed, likely putting something away.

"I'm a member of the Thieves' Guild, you know. I already know that you're there." She removes herself from her position half under the bed, but does not move to confront me, instead, simply moving about her business at her own pace.

But I'm no fool, I know that her words are not idle. Despite my years of training, I have been found out. "Your senses serve you well." I round the corner and content myself with standing in the archway of her room. "You would make a fine assassin."

She pauses, though only for a moment. "I have no desire to resort to murder to support myself."

I resist the urge to chuckle, though I am not entirely successful. "And yet, you'll resort to thievery?"

Her eyes flash to mine, filled with spectral lightning and fire. "I take from those who hoard their wealth like dragons. The guild seems to be the only ones who care for the poor who dot the streets of Skyrim. What money I keep for myself goes into making safe places in each of the holds, hiding places and homes for those of my allies who need it."

 _Allies?_ "And what of your friends?" My query has her spine stiffening when she reaches for a book. "Do they make visits to these homes of yours?"

Her hands fall by her side, a dark expression dimming all color in her face. "Friends...are a luxury for those people who have a future. A future that I do what I can to ensure is free from the terrors of the world."

Judging by the way her shoulders have slumped, I would guess that she has seen many horrors in her travels. And I would also venture to guess that her view on friendship is colored by loss. During my few conversations with the Arch-Mage, I was able to glean a few insights into Kaea's life, including her disposition as a child. Before knowing enough about her heritage to truly understand it, she was a happy child. Then, she grew into adolescence, and her happiness turned into bitter resentment for the father who never wanted her.

 _I wonder though...what made her leave the college?_

"Is there something you needed?" She does not turn to face me, her eyes fixed on the books in front of her. "Because, if not, I am going to the arcaneum." She stuffs a few scrolls into a bag and secures the buckles. Then, she turns to me, and I step aside for her.

However, instead of simply walking past me, she glows for a moment, and in three steps, she disappears completely. That, of course, has me raising an eyebrow. _An invisibility spell?_ But it's not simply invisibility, because there is not even a whisper of her footsteps.

* * *

Kaea's P.O.V.

I pull map scrolls from the walls. Since I've been brought back here for a visit, I might as well make good use of my time here. And to me, that involves finding a map that might lead me to all of the ancient burial walls, where the dragon language is carved and readable. Well, readable to me.

Old Tusk-Face grumbles as I race around the library. "Be careful with those scrolls!"

"I know!" It's hardly the first time that I've been down here. Though you would think that Urag would stop assuming that I'm going to destroy his precious books. I haven't ever even nicked one of his tomes, let alone frozen, burned, or torn them apart the way that he seems to be worried that people are going to. In fact, I'd say that my track record with books is a rather admirable one. And I'm hardly going to summon an atronach or dremora in here. That's just stupid.

Finally, he sighs. "By the gods, child, what are you doing?"

I shoot him a dirty look, since he knows very well that I hate it when he calls me a child. "I'm looking for information on Shearpoint."

"Shearpoint?" His grey-green skin wrinkles as his brow furrows. "What in Oblivion could you possibly want with information on that old place?"

I put the maps down on the central table and spread them out, using a few tomes to keep them open as I flip through the pages. "There's something there that I want. But I'm going to have to fight my way through a dragon to get it. And a draugr by the looks of it." At least, that is what the lone sarcophagus would indicate. Though I can't be completely sure of that until it opens. If I'm lucky, it might be stuffed full of gold or weapons. But I am never so lucky.

"A wight, scourge, or death lord?" I was kind of hoping that he wouldn't bring up the possibilities, as I was rather hoping not to jinx myself.

Too late now. "Likely a death lord. There is a wall there that holds a word of power, so it would make sense that the draugr that lies there might know how to speak it." I've run into more than a few of those, and racked up more than my fair share of scars because of them. But in the end, encounters with them have taught me to be both cautious and fierce. _Looks like there's a nice hidden path here...if I travel through the trees, I can sneak up on the dragon. Maybe I can take out the dragon before the draugr can burst from its tomb. Or I can take the opportunity to set some traps, and let the corpse run into them while I fight off the dragon._ Really, it's anything to avoid fighting a two on one battle.

Old Tusk-Face nods. "A reasonable assumption. And if you're wrong, it's all the better for you. Better to be too prepared, than caught unaware."

"Exactly." It's how I prepare for any major excursion, going first over every possible thing that could go wrong and preparing countermeasures for it. I run my fingers along the papers, until I hear the quiet, almost inaudible footsteps of someone approaching. Footsteps I recognize, seeing as I heard them only a short time ago. I look up from my papers briefly to meet a pair as dark as the night. "You're not very good at sneaking up on people."

A wry smile tugs at his lips. "I find that I am quite proficient in that regard. You simply have excellent training and a natural sense for detection. You are one of the few who can detect my approach, even when I am not trying to hide." His eyes fall to the papers littering the table. "You are in the midst of research?"

I nod. "There is a mountain between here and Whiterun that I plan to launch an attack on. There is a dragon there, guarding something that I want. So I thought that I should do some research in preparation for the attack."

"Oh?" He approaches the table, his eyes sweeping curiously over the maps. "You and your companions are leaving so soon?"

My hands still, and I suck my bottom lip between my teeth. "I...do not plan to have them accompany me there." It's going to be dangerous, and it's not something that I would want them to risk their lives over. I don't want them to die for my selfishness.

I can feel the way his gaze hardens in concern. "You plan to go alone...is that wise?"

"Alone!?" Old Tusk-Face gets up from that desk of his and hurries over, his frown made far more prominent by the two huge teeth that jut up from his orcish face. "That's madness, child. Your father will hear about this."

"Which one?" I bite out. "The one who insists on treating me like a helpless child by locking me in a tower, or the one that believes I am dead?"

"Kaea..." Urag's voice rumbles in warning.

"What? It's true..." I roll up the scrolls and close the books. "I have everything I need. Thank you for the books." I hurriedly make my escape from the library.

* * *

Itachi's P.O.V.

She disappears quickly, nearly becoming invisible as she slips away. And as she does so, Urag gro-Shub, the librarian, sighs. "That girl...if she insists on getting herself into trouble, I'll have no choice but to tell the Arch-Mage." He retrieves a few of the scrolls and replaces them on the shelves. "Now, what are you here for?"

I incline my head respectfully. "I came following the girl, but I must confess myself curious as to your studies of the Elder Scroll."

"Hmph, so that's it." He returns to the desk and retrieves the giant gilded scroll. "In all of my years, I've only rarely come across relics as powerful as these." His eyes linger on the scroll. "I've run every test I can think of, but whatever power that brought you here refuses to reveal itself to me."

A twinge of disappointment makes itself known to me. "I see." I had hoped that this librarian might be able to provide at least a few answers, but it would appear that rectifying this mistake will take quite a bit more effort than we initially thought.

"However..." He moves to wrap the scroll securely in protective cloth. "I'm not one to believe in things like fate, or destiny. But the Elder Scrolls are funny things, all wrapped up in mystery and lore. It's said that only a few can read the Elder Scrolls, and that the priests who do eventually go blind or mad. They're said to contain prophecies, and a record of all things past, present, and future." He hands the scroll to me gingerly. "If you take that to those old men on the mountain, you might find out what sent you here, and how to return. But beware, those old men will not take kindly to your possession of an Elder Scroll."

"Oh?" I fasten the scroll carefully to the buckles and straps of leather under the cloth of my clothes. Perhaps Sasuke is on to something when he speaks of having new clothes made. I can certainly think of a few ways to make armor that is more durable, but facilitates movement. "And why is that?"

"Hmph, the Graybeards call it blasphemy to seek them out. The fools. They simply don't understand the historical significance of the texts." He continues to grumble, his words becoming increasingly less coherent.

So, I turn my eyes to one of the scrolls that Kaea was examining earlier. Unrolling it, I examine the contents for myself, and do my best to read the foreign script. While here, I have made it a point to study the runes of the Nords, finding them very different to the ones I know. And from what I can decipher, Shearpoint appears to be a large mountain to the southwest of here, past another mountain known as Mount Anthor. And though I can't say for certain, if I were a dragon, I would probably find many reasons to make a nest in such locations, far away from men and their blades and bows.

Replacing the scroll where I found it, I move to leave the arcaneum behind, but the voice of the old Orc stops me. "Boy, if you wish to solve the mystery of how you arrived here, perhaps you should ask yourself why. Not saying that I believe in fate, but...of all places the scroll could have sent you, why here? Otherwise, this must be the most unfortunate accident in the history of magical accidents."

My fingers brush the edge of the scroll as the old Orc goes back to whatever he was doing before my arrival. _An accident? Or maybe..._ I'm not one much to believe in things like fate. But if these Elder Scrolls truly do contain prophecies of the future and records of the past, then that certainly would imply that fate exists in some way, shape, or form. _And if that is true, then was our arrival here truly an accident?_

That is certainly something to ponder.


	7. On The Hunt

**It's been a while since I've had time to sit down and write, not to mention actually felt the inspiration to write. But then again, I suppose half a dozen end of term assignments and a handful of exams will do that to you. Would you believe that I wrote seven essays for my final exams? Seven! And that was just between four exams! It's like they were trying to kill me!**

 **Anyway, it's been brutal, but I've spent the last couple of weeks catching up on some much needed sleep (meaning that I've been sleeping a lot more than the prescribed eight hours a night/day/whenever I can find time to get the sleep in). You never get enough when you're constantly trying to get up on time for class, or pulling all nighters to get research papers done. I'm hoping that next semester will be easier on me.**

 **Now, back to our regularly scheduled ice wolf hunt.**

* * *

Sasuke's P.O.V.

I do my best not to shiver as the two of us trek through the snow and up towards the nearby mountain. So far, the elven companion who insists on following me into the cold has remained mercifully silent. Though I don't particularly appreciate how he just seems to glide through the snow, as though it takes no effort at all. His natural grace that barely leaves footprints in the snow forces me to consider that either I've been neglecting my training as an assassin, or that maybe I wasn't as stealthy as I always thought. That will certainly have to be rectified.

Then, I find what I'm looking for, tracks in the snow, and they're fresh. The elf looks over my shoulder at the tracks. "They usually wander in packs of between two and five. But I have seen some as large as seven roaming the plains of Whiterun."

"Good to know." If he's only going to speak to give me important information, then I can at least tolerate him as he follows me. _And from the looks of it…_ My eyes follow the pattern of the tracks. _They're headed up the side of the mountain._

"That is Mount Anthor, the highest of the peaks in Winterhold. Though thankfully, not the highest mountain in Skyrim." Neji's white eyes, deceptively not blind, travel up to rest on the summit. "I, myself, have never been to the top, but I have studied the layout of the cliffs and paths, if you wish to pursue the wolves."

I'm not about to let something like a mountain stop me from catching a few wolves. Besides, there's no time better than the present to get used to the terrain of this province. "I'm going."

"Very well." Neji shifts an eerie red and black bow over his shoulder, where it continues to glow slightly. "Then we go southwest from here, it appears that the wolves are headed towards the summit. We must be swift if we are to outmaneuver them."

My eyes follow the tracks off to the southwest. He steps lightly through the snow, unlike the irritatingly deep tracks that I've left behind me. _Maybe…there's a spell I can learn to make my footsteps lighter… It would certainly make killing my marks easier._ I freeze just for a moment. It's been a while since I last thought about my work as an assassin. It's actually rather frightening, to see how much I've adjusted to life here. As though I'm forgetting who I really am.

I shouldn't be adjusting to life here. I should be trying to find a way home. Unfortunately, as it stands, I have no way of doing that. Which means that making the best of the situation is all I can do. And right now, that means hunting down these wolves and skinning them.

I follow Neji up the steep slopes and through the deep snow, silently cursing every time my foot gets stuck in a crevice, or on a rock or root. Never before have I appreciated just how flat Cyrodiil is. Only now that I'm leagues away, do I appreciate just how easy traveling has been for me until now. And that thought frightens me a little.

As the slope becomes steeper, a sign that we're getting close to the summit, I start to hear the tell-tale howls of the wolves. Neji slows his pace, crouching in the snow. "Careful, those are ice wolves ahead. They're larger, and far more ferocious than ordinary wolves."

I scoff lightly. _I can handle a few wolves. If magic fails, then I've got my bow and a dagger._ And as the howls become louder, I notice something rather important. Stairs.

Turing on Neji, I scowl slightly. "You could have told me that there were stairs!" And to think that he made us climb the mountain the hard way when there was clearly a better way to go.

He rolls his white eyes, which is actually a rather strange sight to see. "They began on the other side of the mountain. I doubted that you would want to risk losing the trail because of the time it would take to walk all the way around."

The elf certainly has a point there. I'm hardly patient enough to have trekked all the way to the other side of the mountain just to save myself a little climbing, while risking losing the trail that my prey has left behind. But it was still information that would have been nice to know earlier. "Fine. Let's keep going." At least now I'll have an easier way back down the mountain, rather than trying to carry the wolf pelts down cliffs.

Neji nods silently, his eyes shifting over the snow as he continues to move. "Come, we shouldn't be far from the summit. My guess is that that's where we'll find them."

"Then lead on." I finger my bow as I pull my feet from the snow. I'd rather find them quickly, since this cold is starting to aggravate me. Not only that, but considering the kind of weather that I've witnessed the past fortnight, I wouldn't be surprised if the weather were to change in an instant and trap us in the middle of a blizzard.

He nods, stepping carefully through the snow, likely to avoid any misshapen or protruding rocks hidden from sight. And as though the Nine are taking mercy on us, the tracks lead off towards the stone steps that wind up the side of the mountain. And for a fleeting moment, I find myself with a great deal of growing respect for the people of this land. To navigate this kind of rough terrain every day must make for a very strong people.

Thankfully, the tracks continue to follow the stairs up. And I suppose that it makes sense that even animals would want to take the easiest route to the summit. Though why they would want to climb a mountain is beyond me, it will not deter me from my prize. _And speaking of my prize…_

I turn my gaze back onto this hunter, scrutinizing his garb. "Where did you have that armor made?"

His white eyes drift back to me as he watches me out the corner of his eye. "A woman in Whiterun makes our armor for us. She is an apprentice to the lady blacksmith there, but hopes to one day tend to the Skyforge under Grey-Mane. Though I believe that she would be better off opening a forge of her own. Her creativity in the forging of arms and armor should not be stifled by subservience to a master."

I raise an eyebrow slightly at his praise. "Why am I under the impression that you're not usually one for praising the skills of others so highly?"

He scoffs slightly, but turns his face away, making it impossible to note his reaction through his long dark hair. "Come, we're nearly at the summit."

A smug satisfaction races through me at the sound of his clipped voice. I've gotten under his skin and ruffled his feathers. My brother would call me sadistic for enjoying such a pastime. But when you spend most of your days chasing down marks to kill, a simple pleasure like this can hardly be considered sadistic. I've certainly done far worse.

As we approach the summit, a tense silence falls between the two of us. We're close enough now that any noise on our part will scare off the wolves. That or prompt them to attack before we can ready ourselves for an ambush. And I would much prefer to be the one doing the ambushing today.

A sudden yelp draws my attention and I peer around one of the smaller cliffs. The elf joins me, his blank looking eyes narrowing. Then, he frowns deeply, but nods to me, holding up two fingers. I take that to mean that there are two wolves, and that he believes that I can handle this on my own. Not that I need him to give me that reassurance. I know full well that I'm more than capable of taking on a couple of wolves by myself.

With the silence of an assassin, I slip from behind the cliff and step behind the wolves. And I must admit that they're much bigger than I expected them to be. _So…these are ice wolves. I can see why people might be cautious around them._ Regardless, I'm not going to be backing down from a challenge. Especially seeing as this will be no challenge at all from behind. They won't know what hit them.

Magic gathers in my palms, lighting them up with trembling sparks. And just as the wolves make to turn around, I unleash a lightning storm upon them that bathes the whole area in an eerie purple light. The snow melts around them, and the wolves howl weakly as they try to escape the bolts of lightning. They fail.

Cutting off the flow of power, I allow the light to die, revealing some lightly charred wolves. There is a great deal of damage around their muzzles, but from what I can tell, most of the damage is internal, and the pelts have been sufficiently spared. Besides, the most important part will be the hide from around the back and belly, there is little to be done with the face.

That part of my quest complete, I approach the wolves on the ground, removing an elven knife from within my clothes, and going to work, skinning the ice wolves. I've skinned animals before, so I'm not stranger to the practice. This allows me the chance to allow my eyes to wander and take in the area.

There may be no mountains like this in Cyrodil, but I'm fairly certain that what I'm seeing is not a common sight. Settled next to the cliff, rounded, and facing us, is a huge stone monument of some kind, riddled with symbols that I've never seen before. And judging by the wear of the stone, I would say that the structure is very old, which means that whatever language is carved into it is probably something that a scholar would be interested in, rather than your everyday traveler. So I pay it little mind as I turn my focus onto the second wolf.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Neji approaches the large stone structure, running his hand lightly over the runes written on it. Then, he frowns, his white eyes trailing over what look like words. "There…is power here."

Whatever power he's speaking of, I can't feel it. And as I remove the skin from the second wolf, the temperature of the snow helps in keeping the blood off my hands. Hefting the two pelts over my shoulder, I look around to see three more wolves lying dead in a heap. _Strange…did they fight among themselves over food or something?_

As Neji seems to be content studying the stone wall, I approach the three other wolves, and set about taking their pelts as well. I had hoped for maybe two or three pelts, but five of them will go a long way towards making armor for me and my brother. _Now…if only I could find a suitable metal, I could perhaps have some scale armor made to fit the bracers and boots…_ Considering that the two of us have landed in a foreign land and in almost a completely different era, I think it would be better to just use what we can to give ourselves as much protection as possible.

Several minutes later, as I move to the last of the carcasses, Neji finally stop moving. "It is not safe to remain here. We had best make our way back to the college."

Glancing up from the carcasses, I look over and scrutinize the wall more closely. "What's going on? What are you looking at?"

His frown deepens, then he looks to the sky. "We must move, quickly. I believe that I know what killed the other three wolves. And if we stay here, we will not survive."

That irritates me, as it could defeat the entire purpose of coming up here in the first place. "And what do you think killed the wolves? There is nothing else here."

His eyes stay fixed on the sky, and it almost seems like his pointed ears twitch a little. "I have been to sites like this one before. And from what I have seen, more often than not, they have proven to be a preferred place for a nest."

"Nest?" My hands still, the carcasses laying somewhat forgotten. "What do you mean by-"

A thunderous roar echoes above us, a booming voice emerging from the din. The sound of it seems to shake the very earth itself. _**"BO NAH GUT!"**_ *

My gaze suddenly shoots straight up, only to see a giant winged beast, covered in bronze scales. Every beat of its wings brings about a small storm, and the few trees bend and break under the force. And sheer terror races through me at the sight. _A dragon? This is a dragon's nest!?_

I'm on my feet in an instant, the pelts thrown haphazardly over my shoulder. Neji appears right out of nowhere, barreling into me and pushing me down the slope of the mountain. "Hurry!" He hisses lowly, hurriedly glancing over his shoulder as we trip over roots and roll into the relative safety of the trees.

As the two of us disappear from sight, I look over my shoulder at the giant scaled monstrosity flapping its wings as it searches for us. "How did it sneak up on us!?"

"Quiet!" Neji hisses as he slaps his hand over my mouth, his eyes wide, fear glimmering in their depths. "We need to get out of here quickly and return to the college. Once there, we must enlist Lady Kaea's help."

Kaea, Kaea, it seems to me as though everyone is unduly obsessed with her. "And you want to enlist her help, why?"

Neji looks to the sky, before starting to shuffle down the slope. "Come, I will explain on the way back to the college."

I was only a few seconds from protesting and demanding that he tell me now, then the dragon roared once more, and it appears to be the wisest course of action to put as much distance between us and that monster as possible.

My feet slide through the snow, tripping over small rocks and roots as the two of us barrel down the side of the mountain. Fortunately, though the furs slung over my shoulder slow me down, they also help me to retain my balance, their weight providing stability.

And it's like this that the two of us race through the snow and back towards the college, on what is sure to be a trek of a few hours.

* * *

Itachi's P.O.V.

I put aside yet another tome on the history of magic, and pick up a more recent history book. Sasuke and I have lost so much time, that I feel obliged to explore what has happened over the last two hundred years, in the event that there proves to be no way to send us home. It is best to employ the logic of hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

For me, that includes spending my time here in the library, familiarizing myself with s much history as I can, well beyond the two hundred years that the two of us have missed. The more I know, the better our chances of survival.

Then, an urgent voice cuts through the silence of the library. "Urag! Where is Lady Kaea!?"

My foolish little brother appears, along with the elf he took as his guide. The two of them look rather disheveled, and more than a little panicked. "Sasuke, what's wrong? I thought the two of you had gone hunting."

Spinning around, he approaches me, his cheeks turned pink by the cold, but the rest of his face pale. "We had, but we ran into a dragon up on the summit of Mount Anthor."

That is certainly not what I was hoping to hear. "And you require Kaea's help to dispatch it, is that it?" Personally, after having seen that first dragon, I would prefer that my brother stay as far from dragons as possible, at least, as long as I am not present to keep him alive. No matter his skills, a dragon is not a creature to be underestimated.

In any case, if they're looking for Kaea, then I will help them. "She is upstairs in her father's quarters. And if you plan on going back to slay the dragon, know that you are not leaving the grounds of the college again without me."

"Who is leaving the grounds of the college?" As though by magic, Kaea appears from the other end of the library, and the doors to the next floor shut behind her. "What's going on?"

Before Sasuke can say a word, Neji reappears from where he was no doubt harassing the librarian about Kaea's whereabouts. "There is a dragon that has made its nest on Mount Anthor."

Her eyes narrow. "That's too close to Winterhold." She spits out what sounds like an elven curse. "Very well, it can't be allowed to stay there. I'll prepare tonight, and leave in the morning."

"We will prepare, and leave in the morning." Neji stares at her rather pointedly. "After all, it has been some time since we last hunted a dragon. Hinata has been wanting new arrows."

"New arrows?" The line of thought sounds intriguing, and it rouses my curiosity somewhat. "Do you make arrows from the remains of dragons?"

Kaea nods. "Tenten, our smith, she can work dragon bones into arrowpoints. I'm also looking into having her make some scale armor from the dragon scales left behind from our battles. It takes time to acquire the materials, because there's only so much that we can carry. If I could, I would bring her an entire skeleton for her to grind down and forge into arms and armor, sadly, I cannot, especially from a mountain peak."

It sounds as though she's been quite resourceful, commissioning weapons and armor to be made from the bones and scales of dragons. Such materials would no doubt afford great protection.

"The three of you are planning on fighting that dragon by yourselves?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow in disbelief. "Are you mad?"

"Not at all." She scoffs and turns her back to us. "I will see the two of you late tomorrow, after the dragon has been dealt with. Neji, I suggest that you tell Hinata and get ready to move. The hunt begins at dawn."

She calls it a hunt with a gleam in her eyes. She enjoys the thrill, despite the probability of death, and in spite of what it meas for her to be able to slay dragons.

And that worries me.

* * *

 *** leave, begone (in a very territorial way), it is a warning or a threat.**


End file.
